Blog for Fair Pay Day

Today marks the start of Equal Pay Week — the point in 2008 when the average woman’s wages finally catch up with what the average man earned in 2007.

And this Wednesday, the Senate is scheduled to vote on a the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, bill that could have a major impact on the lives of women who’ve been subject to pay discrimination.

Even if you’ve already contacted your Senators about this bill, it’s vital that we send a strong message and let our representatives know how strong the public support is on this issue.

Please call your Senators today at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to vote “YES!” on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. To find your Senators’ names and direct contact information, please search the NWLC database.

When you call, the Capitol operator will connect you to your Senators. Please tell the person who answers the phone in your Senators’ offices the following:
1. I am a constituent. My name is __.
2. I am urging the Senator to vote yes on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
3. This bill is important because it will help to ensure justice for women who have been subject to pay discrimination.

Thank you for taking action, it is important to me to support the rights of women and families.

It’s 2008.

Don’t you think it’s time that we figured all this out? It’s called justice. And honest dollar for honest work. Why are we still fighting this battle?

And we wonder why women and children are more likely to live in poverty. And we can’t understand why more women and children need to be on welfare.

It’s because they get paid crap.

But the US Supreme Court, which happens to be overrun by men, doesn’t get it. They seem to think that a statute of limitations trumps justice.

Now I get the whole following the letter of the law thing. But that is why we have a Supreme Court. To say that 180 days (6 months) statue of limitations is BOGUS.

Yikes! I am trying to stop myself from making some remark about the “boys club” and the male patriarchy protecting itself. But I’m not sure I can say that without sounding like a left wing luny.

So I’m just going to leave it at that.

Call Congress and change this shit.

The goal of the Fair Pay Campaign is to add momentum to our collective efforts to pass the Fair Pay Restoration Act (S. 1843) into law. The campaign is being led by the American Association of University Women, the Feminist Majority, Legal Momentum, the National Organization for Women, the National Partnership for Women and Families, and the National Women’s Law Center, and has been joined by 250 other national, state, and local groups.

Background Information
The Senate is currently considering legislation that would promote justice for women and other workers who experience compensation discrimination. The Fair Pay Restoration Act (S. 1843) will reverse the recent Supreme Court decision Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and 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.

In Ledbetter, the Supreme Court held that employees cannot challenge ongoing compensation discrimination if the employer’s original discriminatory decision occurred more than 180 days before, even when the employee continues to receive paychecks that have been discriminatorily reduced. Prior to this decision, the law, as interpreted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and nine of ten courts of appeals that have considered the issue, treated each discriminatory paycheck as a separate discriminatory act that started a new 180-day clock.

Because pay information is often confidential, it may take a long time for an employee to realize that she is experiencing compensation discrimination. And if employers are insulated from liability after 180 days, they have little incentive to correct pay discrimination that occurs. The Fair Pay Restoration Act would restore long-standing law and promote voluntary compliance with anti-discrimination laws by employers.