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Stop the Economic Crisis for Women Workers
House Could Vote on Paycheck Fairness Act THIS Wednesday!
Great news! The Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1338 sponsored by Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.) was passed by the Education and Labor Committee on July 24 without any harmful or weakening amendments. The House leadership intends to bring this bill to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives as soon as THIS WEDNESDAY.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Action Needed:
The Paycheck Fairness Act has 231 sponsors and all of them need to be reminded that women's wages have stagnated in recent years and according to the Economic Policy Institute, women's median pay has fallen in recent years. It is time to stem this economic crisis for women workers.
It is essential that they pass this bill without harmful amendments that weaken the intent of the Act. It is also imperative that they oppose any motion to "recommit" the bill. This would not only stall -- and perhaps kill -- the chance for the bill's passage this year, but could also undermine the important anti-discrimination measures in the legislation. Opponents of pay equity for women may attempt to impose an unfair cap on damages that limits monetary awards in cases dealing with gender, religion or disability discrimination. Currently, workers facing race or ethnicity discrimination are not subject to caps on damages and this should be true for other groups affected by pay discrimination.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Background:
The Paycheck Fairness Act would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963, closing loopholes and improving the law's effectiveness. H.R. 1338 would, among other things, deter wage discrimination by strengthening penalties for equal pay violations, and by prohibiting retaliation against workers who inquire about employers' wage practices or disclose their own wages. The bill also requires employers collect better data on wages, reinstate activities by the Department of Labor that promote equal pay, and develop training for women and girls on salary negotiations.
Women on average continue to be paid only 77 cents to the dollar paid to their male counterparts. With a record 69 million women in the workforce, wage discrimination hurts almost all of our nation's families and disadvantages women in nearly every occupational categories. In addition, wage discrimination lowers total lifetime earnings, reducing women's benefits from Social Security and pension plans and inhibiting their ability to save not only for retirement but for other lifetime goals such as buying a home and paying for a college education.
A vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act is a critical step forward in our goal to close the persistent and sizable wage gap between men and women working full-time year round, even those in the same or similar jobs. Our email action system will automatically give you an editable letter that will urge your representative to support the Paycheck Fairness Act and oppose all efforts to weaken the bill (or will thank your Congressmember who is already a supporter of the bill).
During this election year, it is particularly important to send this message to members of Congress who traditionally have opposed pay equity measures. We doubt that women voters in their districts will be pleased to hear that their representative helped hold up, water down or defeat H.R. 1338, the Paycheck Fairness Act
TAKE ACTION NOW - THE HOUSE IS ONLY HOURS AWAY FROM A VOTE ON THIS ISSUE.
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