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Equal Pay Day symbolizes when, more than three months into the year, women's wages finally catch up to what men were paid at the end of the prior year.
Pascrell met with others at the American Labor Museum, also known as the Botto House. He said the location "has meant so much to the history of labor and has a personal connection to me and my family." His wife is member of the Botto family.
"Equal Pay Day symbolizes how far into the new year the average woman must work to earn what a man earned in the previous year," Pascrell noted. "On average, a woman working full-time earns about 78 percent of what her male counterpart earns.
He also noted that the wage gap is even greater for most women of color, at 64 cents, and for Latina women, at 56 cents.
"But we can't just rally every year in April and expect change -- we need to make change happen," Pascrell said. He reminded listeners that he was an original cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would make critical changes to current law to help close the wage gap between women and men working the same jobs.
"I will continue to fight for this bill until it becomes law," Pascrell said. "No parent should have to choose between equality in the workplace or equal pay for equal work and having a fair amount of time to dedicate to their families."
Pascrell is also the former mayor of Paterson. His website is here.Click here to follow Daily Voice South Passaic and receive free news updates.
