Answer the Supreme Court With Paycheck Fairness

The Ms. Foundation and our grantees denounce the Supreme Court ruling in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., v. Betty Dukes, et al. The ruling means thousands of women who were subject to lower wages and unequal promotion practices cannot use the courts to plead their case as a group and must file their grievances as individuals. To stop this injustice from happening again we must ensure the protections of fair pay and nondiscrimination are written into the law. The Paycheck Fairness Act will allow victims of wage discrimination to sue for damages, and requires employers to prove that any disparities in pay between men and women are job-related. That is why we and our partners at the National Women's Law Center and the National Partnership for Women & Families and many other grantees, call for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act.

National Women's Law Center Co-President Marcia D. Greenberger said:

Congress must do all it can to ensure that this decision does not stand, including by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. The women of Wal-Mart -- and women everywhere -- must have a real chance to gain equal pay and a fairer workplace.

National Partnership for Women & Families Senior Advisor Judith L. Lichtman said:

The pursuit of justice for the women of Wal-Mart and women facing discrimination around the country is far from over. The Wal-Mart women will continue to challenge the company's policies in the courts, and we will continue to call on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and other measures to restore our civil rights protections.

Answer the Supreme Court with positive action. Join in calling Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Tell Congress You Support Paycheck Fairness, Dream Acts

When the 111th Congress returns to Washington next week for its so called "lame-duck" session, two important legislative issues are likely to find their way to a vote: the Paycheck Fairness Act (which would "deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and bar retaliation against workers who disclose their wages") and the Dream Act (which provides a path to citizenship through education and/or service for undocumented minors).

If you'd like to weigh in with your reps in Congress about the importance of both of these acts, here are two campaigns you can take part in today:

• Paycheck Fairness Act: On Wednesday, November 17, the Senate is scheduled to vote on this essential update to the 1963 Equal Pay Act. According to Ms. Foundation grantee Wider Opportunities for Women, the bill aims to "hold employers accountable for wage discrimination and finally close the earnings gap between men and women."
  
  WOW is encouraging all those who support passage of this act to contact their Senators and voice their support. One easy way to do this is by signing on to an online campaign run by the National Women's Law Center (another Ms. Foundation grantee), which will email your support directly to your Senators.
  
  
• Dream Act: This week, outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi expressed her determination to bring the Dream Act to a vote before the end of this session. Take the time to thank her for her support of the act -- and encourage her and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to keep pushing for passage of this legislation, which could radically improve the lives of thousands of undocumented youth.
  
  America's Voice is running an online campaign to let Pelosi and Reid know just how widespread support for the act is; sign on today, and let our leaders know how much we care about the future of all our nation's children.
  

Push for Paycheck Fairness Today

Labor Day may be behind us, but there's still an opportunity to make a difference on behalf of workers nationwide -- particularly the women among them.

The Paycheck Fairness Act, which President Obama has already expressed his support for, seeks to remedy the persistent wage gap that keeps American women earning just 77 cents for every dollar their male colleagues earn. The legislation would allow victims of wage discrimination to sue for damages, and requires employers to prove that any disparities in pay between men and women are job-related.

As the President pointed out when he went public with his support for the act in July,

Women make up half of the workforce, and two-thirds of American families with children rely on a woman's wages as a significant portion of their families' income... Paycheck discrimination hurts families who lose out on badly needed income. And with so many families depending on women's wages, it hurts the American economy as a whole. In difficult economic times like these, we simply cannot afford this discriminatory burden.

Ms. Foundation grantee the National Partnership for Women and Families is running an important online campaign to build support for the measure; let your Senators know how much the Paycheck Fairness Act means to you today!

President Urges Senate to Support Paycheck Fairness Act

On Tuesday July 20, 2010, President Barack Obama expressed his support for the Paycheck Fairness Act and urged the US Senate to pass the bill, which the House has already approved. In his written statement, the President noted:

In America today, women make up half of the workforce, and two-thirds of American families with children rely on a woman's wages as a significant portion of their families' income.

Yet, even in 2010, women make only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. The gap is even more significant for working women of color, and it affects women across all education levels.... Paycheck discrimination hurts families who lose out on badly needed income. And with so many families depending on women's wages, it hurts the American economy as a whole. In difficult economic times like these, we simply cannot afford this discriminatory burden.

[snip]

We cannot do this work alone. So today, I thank the House for its work on this issue and encourage the Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, a common-sense bill that will help ensure that men and women who do equal work receive the equal pay that they and their families deserve. Passing this bill is one of the Task Force's key recommendations, and I hope Congress will act swiftly so that I can sign it into law.

Let's hope the President is successful in encouraging the passage of legislation that helps bring pay equality to all. It has been a long fight for this bill. We reported on its House sponsor Representative Rosa DeLauro [D-CT] (August 2008), and (June 2010), and on Ms. Foundation grantee the National Women's Law Center's fight for it in May 2010. For more on the NWLC's advocacy on fair pay, see its Womenstake.org blog.

Fair Pay: Imagine the Difference $10,000 Could Make

Ms. Foundation grantee the National Women's Law Center is offering its constituents a great opportunity to speak out on the pay gap between women and men -- which currently adds up, on average, to just over $10,000 per year.

Via NWLC's Womenstake blog:

What if you found out you were owed $10,622?
There’s a $10,622 gap between the median yearly earnings of men and women. For many women and their families, fixing the wage gap would mean enough for a year’s supply of groceries, three months of rent or child care, six months of health insurance, and more.
What would it mean to you? Send us a photo that shows how $10,622 would improve your life!

On June 10th, the anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, NWLC will gather these photos together and send them to Congress to press for quick passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act. They'll also publish the pictures on their site.

So how would equal pay impact your life? Let NWLC know. And learn more about NWLC's campaign to close the gendered pay divide once and for all.