Tag Archives: Equal Pay Day

Never discuss your salary with anyone.

That’s what they told Lilly Ledbetter on her first day on the job in 1979. It wasn’t until she found an anonymous note in her locker that Lilly realized that she was being paid as much as 40% less than her male colleagues in the same position.

This sort of pay secrecy policy that punishes employees helps to hide discriminatory pay practices. And here’s the kicker: Lilly worked all those years for Goodyear Tire & Rubber, which had the privilege of being a federal contractor.

Today is Equal Pay Day — the day that a typical woman’s wages finally catch up to a typical man’s in 2011. Ask President Obama to ban federal contractors from retaliating against employees who talk about wages.

It took Lilly 20 years to find out that she was being paid less than her male co-workers. But we know that Lilly is not alone: nearly fifty years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, women working full time are paid just 77 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts. And the wage gap is far worse for women of color.

It’s time to end punishing pay secrecy policies among federal contractors.

The President has the executive power to protect employees who work in companies that have federal contracts. Presidents have used executive orders to address other workplace rights, including requiring that contractors protect their employees from discrimination on the job.

In recognition of Equal Pay Day, join us in calling on President Obama to end retaliatory pay secrecy policies in federal contracting.

Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,

Fatima Goss Graves
Vice President for Education and Employment
National Women’s Law Center
P.S. NWLC has some brand new resources released for Equal Pay Day. Check out our interactive wage gap map and new fact sheets on the wage gap and women of color, minimum wage and combating punitive pay secrecy policies.

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Take Action: Celebrate the Paycheck Fairness Act on Equal Pay Day!

04/12/2011 Nativegrl77

Happy Equal Pay Day! I know what you’re thinking: it’s hard to feel too happy when we face the facts about the wage gap these days. Did you realize that the average woman loses $10,849 a year due to the wage gap?

But we do have something worth celebrating this Equal Pay Day. The Paycheck Fairness Act is being introduced in both Houses of Congress today!

Ask your Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act in honor of Equal Pay Day!

In the last session of Congress, we worked hard to get the Paycheck Fairness Act passed in the House and this important bill fell just a few votes short of moving forward in the Senate. We couldn’t have done it without people like you who helped tell Congress that Women Are Not WorthLess. Now we need your help again!

Take action and ask your Member of Congress to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act now!

On Equal Pay Day, we recognize the day that the average woman’s wages finally catch up to those of her male counterparts in 2010. With the Paycheck Fairness Act, we can start to close that wage gap and Stop Discounting Women and their families. Will you take action today?

Thank you for all your support and, again, happy Equal Pay Day!

Sincerely

Fatima Goss Graves

Vice President for Education and Employment

National Women’s Law Center

P.S. We’ve put together some great new resources in honor of Equal Pay Day. Be sure to check out our new factsheets on pay secrecy, the “factors other than sex” loophole in the Equal Pay Act and how the Paycheck Fairness Act resolves it, an update on the Lilly Ledbetter Act and the wage gap’s implications for women in this economy. And in other fair-pay news, don’t forget to vote in the last round of Wal-Mart Manager Madness!

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Paycheck Fairness Returning to Congress: Act Now

04/06/2011 Nativegrl77

Next Tuesday is Equal Pay Day, the day when an average woman’s wages will catch up to those of her male counterparts in 2010. That’s right — the wage gap equates to over THREE MONTHS’ worth of women’s work. A steep discount, and it’s outrageous!

Fortunately, some of our allies in Congress think that the wage gap is as outrageous as we do. So in honor of Equal Pay Day, they are reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act on Tuesday!

Ask your Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act today! www.nwlc.org/fairpay

Women Are Not WorthLess

Ask your Member of Congress to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act and Stop Discounting Women today!

As you probably remember, and with the help of thousands of activists like you, the Paycheck Fairness Act passed the House and fell just a few votes short of moving forward in the Senate in the last Congress. It was close — the closest we’ve ever been.

Take action — ask your Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act now!

Let’s make sure that this year, on Equal Pay Day, Congress knows that Women are Not WorthLess! Thank you for all of your support in the past, and let’s get geared up to see Paycheck Fairness through to the end in the 112th Congress!

Sincerely,

Fatima Goss Graves

Vice President for Education and Employment

National Women’s Law Center

P.S. The women of Wal-Mart took their fight for fair pay all the way to the Supreme Court last week! Did you see our Wal-Mart Manager Madness bracket? Pick your “favorites” today as we whittle down the Egregious Eight to the Foul Four. The Sexist Slam-Dunk will be unveiled next week on Equal Pay Day, so stay tuned!