Greg Abbott Pays Female Employees in Attorney General's Office Less Than Male Coworkers

[TexasTowelie]

It's no wonder Greg Abbott hasn't stated if he would sign Equal Pay legislation for Texas women -- a blockbuster report in the San Antonio Express News today made clear that Abbott pays the women in his office less than the men, even when accounting for experience and longevity.

The average salary for the 343 male assistant attorneys general in Abbott's office is $79,464, while the average salary for the 379 women is $73,649.

As Attorney General, Abbott also defended the right of an employer to wage discriminate based on sex. And while Wendy Davis has made clear that she would sign a Texas version of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- heck, she sponsored and moved it through the State Senate on a 16-15 vote last session -- Abbott's surrogates have been quick to point out that women are "too busy" for Equal Pay and just need to "negotiate better."

From the San Antonio Express News:

Abbott's office said the difference is explained by the amount of time that the men have been licensed as lawyers and have served at the agency.

But drilling down into different classifications of assistant attorney general, the figures provided by Abbott's office show there isn't always a direct correlation between such experience and pay.

And of the top 20 highest-paid employees at the agency, just three are women, February salary figures provided to the San Antonio Express-News show. Of the 100 top positions, 37 are held by women.

More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14976/greg-abbott-pays-female-employees-in-attorney-generals-office-less-than-male-coworkers .

[PumpkinAle]

1. I am surprised

he even allows women in his august offices - snark.

The women have more years of service or have been licensed longer, and yet they are paid less. This data directly contradicts the statement Abbott's office gave the press, claiming that the difference is explained by the amount of time that the men have been licensed as lawyers and have served at the agency.
http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14976/greg-abbott-pays-female-employees-in-attorney-generals-office-less-than-male-coworkers

[DhhD]

2. Abbott and his surrogates are an irritation to Texans of all walks of life.

He is like a dirty bandage that has stuck around, far to long, and is irritating every thing around.

[Gothmog]

3. This is going to be an issue

The GOP is doing its best to alienate women voters

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

4. Let's hope they are succeeding.

I wasn't the first one with a Wendy yard sign on my block. That annoyed me and made me very happy.

[Gothmog]

5. I don't have my yard sign yet

I can not put them out in my subdivision until just before the general election.

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

6. Bumper sticker?

[alp227]

7. Full San Antonio news article:

Equal pay debate shifts to attorney general's office

excerpts

Looking at the 722 assistant attorneys general under Abbott, the average salary for 343 men is $79,464 while the average salary for 379 women is $73,649.

Abbott's office said the men on average had more than 16 years of being licensed, while the women had nearly 14 years. The men had an average of nearly 104 months of service, while the women had more than 92 months, his office said.

Of seven different classifications of assistant attorneys general, the average salary for men is higher than the average salary for women in six of them, with the difference ranging from $647 to $4,452. In one category, the average salary for women is $3,512 higher than that for men.

In three categories, the women on average either had more years of service or had been licensed longer, or both, despite being paid less, according to figures from the attorney general's office. In the latter case, the attorney general's office noted the salaries were almost identical — the men's average salary was $122,528, while the women made $647 less while having more experience.

[blkmusclmachine]

8. Pay the wemmin folk less. It's in the Buybull, I think.

[Gothmog]

9. Women In Wendy Davis' Office Earn More Than Men On Average

There are some real differences between Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/wendy-davis-office-average-pay

Women staffers in state Sen. Wendy Davis' (D) Senate office made, on average, roughly $3,000 more than male employees, according to data obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

Specifically, women averaged $43,050 while men in the office averaged $40,378. Of the total 12 employees in Davis' state Senate office, six are men and six are women.

The new information comes as equal pay for women sits in the spotlight of the Texas gubernatorial race between Davis and Attorney General Greg Abbott (R). A spokesman for Abbott's campaign said if he were governor he wouldn't sign legislation that would help women who bring forward pay discrimination lawsuits.

The San Antonio Express-News also reported that female assistant attorneys general under Abbott, on average, make less than their male counterparts. The Express-News found that the 343 male assistant attorneys general made on average $79,464 while the 379 women make on average $73,649.