The fight for equal pay is part of the evolution of the American sense of what is right and just. After all, slavery was once an accepted part of this democratic nation; the unions' demands constituted an illegal restraint of trade; married women had no property rights; female workers had no right to their earnings; child labor was common; unequal pay for women was an accepted practice. Society did not notice the decline in labor rates as women, instead of men, were hired to do them (librarians and secretaries, for example). Today, most Americans support equal pay for work of comparable (not simply identical) value. Now is the time to ensure it is achieved. 1932 – Federal economic law is passed prohibiting wives of federal employees from holding government positions. It also states that women with employed husbands will be first on the firing list. 1935 - The National Recovery Act requires that women in government jobs receive 25 percent less pay than men in the same jobs. 1942 - The War Labor Board rules that women must be dismissed. they paid the same working wages as the men (now at war). The war ends before government can be imposed. No law requires either pay equity or equal pay. 1950s - Senator Wayne Morse (D-OR) and Representative Edith Green (D-OR) introduce equal pay bills; Republican versions by New York Representatives Katherine St. George and Jessica Weis. No results. 1961 - Labor activist Esther Peterson heads the Women's Bureau, takes on responsibility for promoting legislation, gathers data, builds coalitions, wins allies. The Equal Pay Act is introduced. The original invoice provides a comparable value and stricter enforcement; the final bill does not. 1963 – Equal Pay Act passed providing equal pay for women for equal work. 1964 – Civil Rights Act passed. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination against women. 1974 - The International Electronic, Machinery and Furniture Workers Union sues Westinghouse. The company had established a salary structure in the 1930s; scores for women's jobs were automatically reduced simply because they were performed by women, not an unusual attitude at the time. 1979 - 20 women's groups, professional organizations and unions form the National Fair Pay Committee. Founders include unions such as IUE, AFSCME, SEIU, UAW, NTEU, women's groups such as Business and Professional Women, NOW, Women's Legal Defense Fund, League of Women Voters, National Commission on Working Women, NARAL, Women's Coalition unions, National Association of Employees, National Commission on Working Women, professional groups such as the American Library Association and the George Meany Center.