Vote on fair pay

The House is expected to vote tomorrow (Wednesday) on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act -- key bills that would give women the tools they need to challenge pay discrimination. The Senate may follow with a vote as soon as early next week.

Please contact your members of Congress immediately with a clear message: It's time to sign, seal and deliver pay equity for all women by passing fair pay legislation immediately, so that President-Elect Obama can sign it into law during his first few days in office.

You can fill out this form to send an e-mail to your lawmakers.

Or, you can call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask the operator to connect you to your Senators and Representative. Tell the person who answers the phone in each office that you are a constituent who urges the member to vote in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act, and to oppose any weakening amendments and any motions to recommit.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Fair pay for women

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As a constituent, I request that you take immediate action to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. I urge you to strongly support passage of both bills and vote against any weakening amendments, or motions to recommit. These key bills would ensure that employees are armed with the tools to fight back against pay discrimination. Ensuring that women receive equal pay for equal work is a critical component of any effort to stimulate the economy and to ensure self-sufficiency for them and their families. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is the only bill that will reverse the effects of the Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which severely limits workers' ability to vindicate their rights and distorts Congress' intent to eliminate sex and other forms of discrimination in the workplace. The Paycheck Fairness Act would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the law and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages. The bill strengthens the Equal Pay Act to ensure that it provides effective protection against sex-based pay discrimination. Toward that end, it also allows women to receive the same remedies for pay discrimination that are currently available to those subject to discrimination based on race and national origin. Together, these bills arm women with the tools they need to fight pay discrimination. They are more critical now than ever.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
January 06, 2009

Background Information

Women are paid only 77 cents for every dollar a man is paid, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Women workers covered by a union contract are guaranteed equal pay. But millions of other working women don't have that protection and must rely on today's inadequate fair pay laws.

After years of working at an Alabama Goodyear tire plant, Lilly Ledbetter discovered she was being paid less than the lowest-paid man doing the same work. She gathered enough evidence to file suit, and a jury awarded her $3.8 million. But Goodyear appealed to the Supreme Court, which squelched the award and ruled Ledbetter--and other workers--have no right to sue for a remedy in cases of pay discrimination where workers wait more than 180 days after their first paycheck, even if they don't discover the pay discrimination until years later.

The Paycheck Fairness Act, introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), would provide more effective remedies for women who are not paid equal wages for doing equal work, by adding some teeth to the 1963 Equal Pay Act.