|
EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK
Tell the Senate that America's Working People Deserve Fair Pay-
Please support the Fair Pay Act of 2009
THE REALITY: We are in the middle of an economic recession and millions of working families are struggling to stay afloat. Women do the work, take on numerous responsibilities on the job, but they do not get the compensation they deserve and in these turbulent economic times, every dollar counts! No one deserves to be shortchanged because of their gender yet working women still get paid less than men.
WHAT CAN I DO? Actually? a whole lot!
Recently, the House of Representatives stood up for pay equity and passed the Fair Pay Restoration Act (H.R.11) and we need the Senate to do the same. This week, the Senate will be voting on this very important bill.
Will you help us gain support for the Fair Pay Act? It only takes a minute of your time to let your Senators know that you want them to stand up for what is right by voting for the Fair Pay Act of 2009 to ensure that workers get equal pay for equal work!
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: I Urge you to support the Fair Pay Restoration Act (H.R.11)
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
As a member of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), an organization that has been advocating for workers? rights for over 35 years, I urge you to vote YES on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 11).
To date, women in the United States are paid 77 cents, African American women make 63 cents, and Latinas earn 52 cents for every dollar earned by men. This is an outrageous wage gap that must be closed.
Women do the work, take on numerous responsibilities on the job, but they do not get the compensation they deserve and in these turbulent economic times, every dollar counts. Pay discrimination is not solely a woman's fight but a fight to change an inequality that is placing millions of working people at an economic disadvantage.
Pay discrimination, no matter how small has adverse short-term and long-term consequences not only on the wages that workers will earn throughout their lifetime but also in the benefits that they will receive when they retire, having serious implications for the future economic stability of retirees.
To restore the ability of working people to stand up to wage discrimination, we need to reestablish the law in place prior to the Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court decision was misguided, rather than serve to prevent future cases of discrimination, it restricts the ability of workers to challenge pay discrimination in their workplaces, by limiting the time frame in which a claim can be made.
The clock should not run out on workers demanding justice. There is no reason why workers should be limited in their ability to recover damages under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if they have been earning less than they deserve.
The concerns I mentioned above can be addressed through passage of the Fair Pay Restoration Act which will restore the basic protections against pay discrimination that the recent Ledbetter Supreme Court decision took away from workers. Working people deserve strong laws that guarantee equal pay for all regardless of their gender, race, country of origin or religion.
This is why I urge you to vote YES and aid in the passage of the Fair Pay Act of 2009.
Sincerely,
|
