Mississippi's Democratic candidate for U-S senate is vowing to support an equal pay bill that stall in the Senate earlier this week. Democrat Travis Childers says that equal pay for men and women is a vital issue for all Mississippians.
Childers says he would support the so-called 'pay check fairness act' which would punish employers for retaliating against workers who share wage information and would allow workers to sue for punitive damages for wage discrimination, among other things.
Speaking to a small group of supporters in Jackson, Childers says equal pay for equal work is a matter of basic fairness because Mississippi women earn an average of 76-cents for every dollar a man makes.
"There is no discount button when you go to fill up the tank of your car. Women pay the same price as men. So when providing to a family, the women's contribution to the income matters just as much as the man's," Childers said.
Incumbent Senator Thad Cochran voted against the bill earlier this week, which is why Childers says he is renewing his call for the two need to debate.
Cochran campaign spokesman Jordan Russell says it is ridiculous to assume that the senator does not support equal pay, but that this particular bill is simply the wrong way to do it....
"Of course Senator Cochran supports equal pay for equal work. All republicans do. Anybody that believes in fairness does. But this particular piece of legislation is an election year stunt and a gift to trial lawyers," Russell said.
Childers says he is confident that he can challenge the long-term senator in November but the most recent poll shows Cochran with a 15-point lead.
