Protesters to Skelos: Allow vote on the Women's Equality Act

(Page 2 of 3)

On Monday, the Senate’s Independent Democratic Conference leader, Jeff Klein, a supporter of abortion rights, introduced a bill removing the controversial abortion provision, which Cuomo said is a “serious mistake” by the IDC. Klein and Skelos must agree on which bills come to the floor for a vote.

Cuomo, who has been widely criticized for refusing to separate the abortion provision from the act, has gained widespread support for addressing pay inequity, sex trafficking, discrimination against women in housing and employment.

“There is no more important legislation for women and families in New York than [this act],” said JoAnn D. Smith, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. “The women and families of New York deserve a vote.”

One woman’s story

“I was pushed out of my job and onto public assistance when I was pregnant and needed to temporarily stop heavy lifting,” said Armanda Legros, the mother of a 3-year-old and 5-month-old. “My company did this even though they had a policy of accommodating other workers who had been injured on the job. No woman should have to choose between her child’s health and her job. I strongly believe that passing the Women’s Equality Act is taking the right step to creating more balance and fairness in the workplace for women as a whole.”

Alyse Parise, a small business owner and chairwoman of the Suffolk County Women’s Business Enterprise Coalition, said, “Women in New York earn 84 cents for every dollar that a man earns, and women are discriminated against and harassed in the workplace at disproportionate rates. The Women’s Equality Act would allow for more transparency, more accountability and true pay equity — rights that all New Yorkers deserve.”

Page 2 / 3