[NOW Actions] Still 77 Cents For Every Dollar

Support NOW's Work |	April 16, 2007	| Tell a Friend

All NOW Actions More about NOW and Economic Equity		Still Just 77 Cents for Every Dollar It's 2007, but women are still only paid 77 for every dollar men are paid. We're still fighting for pay equity and we need your help. This year, we mark Equal Pay Day on Tuesday, April 24. This is the day women workers finally "get out of the red" and their earnings catch up with men's earnings for all of last year. Aren't we tired of seeing red? How many pennies do we have to pinch to make our 77 cents stretch as far as the dollar a man earns for doing the same or equivalent job that we do? Why don't we have equal pay for men and women? Why don't our paychecks provide a livable wage for all of us, regardless of gender, race or type of work? It's time to stop getting mad and start getting even (pay). Demand equality -- Take Action NOW. One thing you can do today is to ask your U.S. senators and representative to sponsor the "Paycheck Fairness Act" introduced last month by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). The bill, S. 766 in the Senate and H.R. 1338 in the House, aims to reduce the pay gap in several ways. It would enhance the enforcement of requirements of the Equal Pay Act and require a stronger commitment from the Department of Labor in its responsibilities to women workers. It provides for training programs for the employees of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs — the very people who deal with matters involving discrimination in the payment of wages. The bill also requires that the EEOC figure out a way to gather more comprehensive and useful data from employers without imposing additional reporting and paperwork requirements — data that can be used in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Finally, the bill prohibits employers from punishing employees who share salary information with co-workers. Send a message to your legislators today about the Paycheck Fairness Act. Our congressional feedback system will determine if your legislator is already a co-sponsor and, if so, will provide a sample "thank you" message. If your representative is not a co-sponsor, you'll be provided with a sample message encouraging the legislator to sign on. Take action NOW -- send a message to your senators and representative! We need this legislation now more than ever. The current administration is intent on dismantling the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau though outsourcing and defunding. They would like to stop collecting data on women workers altogether, rather than standing up for the rights of women workers to be free from discrimination and paid what they are worth. The Paycheck Fairness Act is just one tool for eliminating the wage gap. Learn more about pay equity and what else you can do!
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