When: Thursday, July 17, 10:00 AM

Where: The corner of Constitution and Delaware Avenues, NE, Washington, DC, across from the Russell Senate Office Building — also known as the “Senate Swamp.” The closest Metro stations are Union Station and Capitol South (view map).

Why: To show your support for pay equity and represent the voices of AAUW members across the country.

For questions and to RSVP, please contact the AAUW Public Policy and Government Relations staff at VoterEd@aauw.org or at 202/785-7793.

Today marks the 44th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the legislation outlawing discrimination in public accommodations, public schools, health care facilities, government, and employment. Originally introduced by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 as a means to combat racial injustice and indignity, the legislation was amended to include protections for women. One of its best-known features, Title VII, prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, and national origin and created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to enforce this law.

Rather than being a historical footnote, the Civil Rights Act is at the core of civil rights legislation and judicial decisions to this day. AAUW supports the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831), an attempt to correct the Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company that severely limits the ability of victims of pay discrimination to exercise their rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The legislation passed the House but failed to pass a test vote in the Senate earlier this year. And just last week, the Supreme Court agreed to review a case involving pregnancy leave taken before the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, an amendment to Title VII, was enacted.

I realize that discrimination in pay, disparities in educational achievement for minorities and low-income children, and other inequities were not eradicated with the passage of this law. There is still much to be done, but it gives me hope that my child will always know a world where he can can go wherever he wants, work wherever he wants, shop and eat wherever he likes, or date and marry whomever he chooses.

The plaintiff, Lilly Ledbetter, filed a lawsuit against her employer after a co-worker left her an anonymous note telling her that she was being paid less than her male co-workers in the same position were. A jury found that Goodyear violated her rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In its appeal of the jury verdict, Goodyear argued that Ledbetter filed her complaint too late and, by a 5-4 margin, the Supreme Court agreed. Title VII requires employees to file within 180 days of “the alleged unlawful employment practice.” The court calculated the deadline from the day Ledbetter received her last discriminatory raise, rather than from the day she received her last discriminatory paycheck—overturning 40 years of EEOC practice and court precedent. As a result, Ledbetter was unable to challenge any discrimination against her, even though the discrimination continued unabated for years and even though she had no way of knowing that she was being paid less, since Goodyear prohibited employees from disclosing wages to colleagues.

While the House acted quickly in passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831) in July 2007 to clarify that each discriminatory paycheck is a separate act of discrimination, the Senate last month narrowly failed to pass a vote to move on to final passage of legislation. Without action by Congress, victims of pay discrimination will have no recourse against continuing discrimination, and employers will be immune from accountability for their discrimination once 180 days have passed.

As we mark the anniversary of the Court’s decision in this case, we are reminded that equal pay for equal work is a simple matter of justice. In this critical election year, many women identify equal pay for equal work as a national priority. I believe that senators’ support of this legislation is a fair measure of where they stand on pay equity for women. See how your representative voted, and then see how your senators voted.

AAUW members have persistently pursued justice in this area, and we won’t stop until the Senate gets it right. Contact your senators again today to send a strong message that this anniversary will not go unnoticed and that pay discrimination will not be tolerated.

AAUW continues to have “I Am the Face of Pay Equity” signs and stickers available for use at AAUW events. Visit AAUW’s Pay Equity web page and download the Pay Equity Resource Kit for ideas, tips, and resources to use in your community throughout the year.

Please take this poll: Should the Fair Pay Act have been passed?

via Wall Street Journal

In a 56-42 Senate vote, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act did not advance. Women, minorities and disabled people still have only six months to report pay discrimination and file suit.

C'est la vie...

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Tomorrow, the Senate will vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act passed by the house in July of 2007.

Democratic presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton may be flying in to Washington D.C. to vote in favor of the act.

According to the National Women's Law Center, women only make 77 cents to every dollar men make. Let's break that down.

The NWLC has a handy fact sheet ready to tell us just how much of a difference those 77 cents are make out to be when you consider salaries.

• High school educated men make an average $33,074 while women make $21, 609.
• Men with B.A. degrees made $55,425 to women's $38,221.
• "The median annual earnings of women ages 15 and older working full-time, year-round were $32,515, compared to $42,261 for their male counterparts."
• The worst state in the union is Louisiana where women make 66% of what men make.

In order to close the wage gap, the Lilly Ledbetter act proposes to:

• ...require the EEOC to survey pay data already available and issue regulations within 18 months that require employers to submit any needed pay data identified by the race, sex, and national origin of employees. These data will enhance the EEOC’s ability to detect violations of law and improve its enforcement of the laws against pay discrimination.
• ...establishe a competitive grant program to develop training programs for women and girls on how to negotiate better compensation packages, and directs the Secretaries of Labor and Education to integrate the programs developed into education and job training programs under their respective jurisdictions.
• ...equalize wage disparities between jobs that are segregated on the basis of sex, race, or national origin, but require equivalent skills, effort, responsibility, and working conditions.
• ... provide punitive and compensatory damages to victims of wage discrimination. It also prohibits retaliation against individuals who exercise their rights under the law.
• ...require all employers to keep records of the methods they use to set employee wages. Employers must also provide yearly reports to the EEOC that describe their workforce by position and salary as well as gender, race, and ethnicity.

To read more about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, click the following:

National Women's Law Center: Fair Pay

Ledbetter v. Good Year Rubber Tire & Co.: Supreme court case that led to the Fair Pay Act. Basically, the decision was that employees have 180 days to report wage discrimination. Any time after that, they were not able to be compensated.

Joan Blades and Lilly Ledbetter comment on Huffingpost.com

Stay tuned tomorrow for the Senate's decision!

AAUW events across the country will mark Equal Pay Day to educate others about pay discrimination:

• AAUW members in Escabana, Michigan, will sell cookies with a bite out of them representing the 23 percent women are underpaid.
• The AAUW Vero Beach (FL) Branch will hold a bake sale where men will pay full price and women will receive a 23 percent discount.
• The AAUW Murfreesboro (TN) Branch will hand out Pay Day candy bars at Middle Tennessee State University.
• AAUW members in Salem, Oregon, will hold an “unhappy hour” where women will receive a 23 percent discount.
• AAUW members across the country will wear red to represent the way the pay gap puts women "in the red."
• Workshops held on college campuses will teach women to better negotiate for quality jobs and pay.
• Rallies will be held at city halls and state houses across the country, including in Brevard, North Carolina, where legislators will proclaim April 22, 2008, Equal Pay Day, and supporters will advocate for effective pay equity legislation.

The U.S. Senate will recognize Equal Pay Day by voting Wednesday on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831). The legislation was introduced in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year in the Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company case, which severely limits the ability of victims of pay discrimination to have their day in court.

Call your senators today to urge them to vote in support of the bill and send a strong signal to your senators that, in honor of Equal Pay Day, pay discrimination will not be tolerated. Then set up and send an e-card to your friends and family with the call information as well.

AAUW and our coalition partners will hold a national press conference this Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where we will urge our senators to take action to reverse the Ledbetter v. Goodyear decision and to realize the decades-old promise of equal pay for equal work. Several members of Congress are scheduled to attend, as are Lilly Ledbetter and members of the AAUW staff.

Pay equity is a simple matter of justice. Equal pay for equal work — makes sense, right? We know that women deserve a level playing field. Equal Pay Day and pay equity legislation aim to ensure that they also receive a level paying field.