From: ak-momsrising-2404-1164475.r-tfk1x@list.momsrising.org [mailto:ak-momsrising-2404-1164475.r-tfk1x@list.momsrising.org]
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 11:03 AM
To:
Subject: URGENT: The Senate is voting TOMORROW & many aren't decided yet!
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 11:03 AM
To:
Subject: URGENT: The Senate is voting TOMORROW & many aren't decided yet!
Dear,
This is it. A vote will happen TOMORROW (Wednesday) on the Paycheck Fairness Act--and it's going to be a close one. Many Senators say they're still deciding which way to vote! So we're sending clam-o-grams, making calls, sending letters, meeting in-person with elected leaders to share our real world experiences with unequal pay, and we're generally going all out for the Paycheck Fairness Act.
Wait?! Clam-o-grams?! That wasn't a typo. We are indeed pulling out all the stops. We even sent clam-o-gram cookies to a key potential swing vote, U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA), this week to point out that on average women earn 23 percent less than men for the same work. That adds up to a lot of clams!
These clam-o-grams were delivered along with MomsRising member messages supporting fair pay including this statement: "We earned these clams! We need fair pay like New England clam chowder needs clams!"
But clam-o-gram cookies alone aren't enough. We need you to pitch in by quickly contacting your Senators to tell them to vote YES on the Paycheck Fairness Act without amendments this Wednesday. (It's easy. We'll give you their phone number and a sample phone script when you click the link below)..
*Take 60 seconds today (even right now!) to call your U.S. Senators and urge them to vote YES on Wednesday for the Paycheck Fairness Act without amendments.
When you click the above link, we’ll provide you with your Senators’ contact information and a sample script for what to say when their staff answers the phone.
It's more important than ever that the Paycheck Fairness Act--which has already passed the House--passes the Senate THIS Wednesday so it can become law.
During the recession moms’ earnings have become increasingly essential for family economic security. In fact, women are now the primary breadwinners in four out of 10 households [1]. It's time for our Senators to get on the right side of history, help end wage discrimination, and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.
In fact it's long past time to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act because frankly things aren't looking up for women's paychecks. Data recently released by the U.S. Census found that women who worked full-time, year round on average still made 23 cents less for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. And, the wage gap for women of color in 2009 was even more staggering than for women overall. When Black and Hispanic women work full-time, year round, they only make 62 and 53 cents, respectively, for every dollar their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts earn. [2]
Further, a recent study found that with equal resumes and job experiences, mothers were offered $11,000 lower starting salaries than non-mothers (fathers, on the other hand, were offered $6,000 more in starting salaries than non-fathers). Since over 80% of women in our nation have children by the time they're 44 years old, the majority of women in our nation are touched by this type of wage discrimination at some point in their lives.
What's the Paycheck Fairness Act and what would it do?
Even though President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, the pay gap has been narrowing by less than half a percent a year. That means at this rate the pay gap won’t close until 2057. Forty-seven years from now! With more and more families depending on moms’ paychecks, American families simply cannot afford to wait that long.
If passed, the Paycheck Fairness Act will strengthen the 1963 Equal Pay Act because it will:
- Deter wage discrimination by strengthening penalties for equal pay violations and by prohibiting retaliation against workers who ask about employers' wage practices or disclose their own wages;
- Empower women to negotiate for equal pay;
- Strengthen federal outreach, education and enforcement efforts;
- Create stronger incentives for employers to follow the law.
American families can’t afford to wait for fair pay any longer! Make the call! Take 60 seconds now to tell your Senators that the Paycheck Fairness Act must be passed!
Paycheck fairness isn't just a woman’s issue. Since the majority of families these days need the wages of two parents to make ends meet, getting equal pay for equal work would go a long way toward helping family economic security and putting the nation on the road to economic recovery.
Make the call! Take 60 seconds to tell your U.S. Senators we’re counting on them to get on the right side of history and vote for the Paycheck Fairness Act!
And, please also take a moment now to also forward this email around to friends and family so they can make a quick call too.
Together we have the power to make this happen!
- Kristin, Ruth, Donna, Mary, Anita, Sarah and the whole MomsRising Team
P.S. Amplify your message using 21st century media tools! Send a direct message to your Senators via Twitter and post comments on their Facebook walls!
P.S. Have you ever experienced wage or hiring discrimination? We're pulling together stories of MomsRising members across the nation to share with U.S. Senators. Share your story here (and feel free to share anonymously): http://action.momsrising.org/go/423?akid=2404.1164475.IGY2-M&t=10
[1] Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress, “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything” 2009
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