Tag Archives: National Women’s Law Center

National Women's Law Center - Stop Discounting Women


	Tell Your Members of Congress to Stand with the Women of Wal-Mart

	Betty Dukes with Senator Franken, lead Senate sponsor of the bill

	Co-sponsor the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012.

One year ago today, we told you devastating news: the Supreme Court had ruled against Betty Dukes and the courageous women of Wal-Mart.
In a 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that the Wal-Mart women could not band together as a single class to challenge discrimination in pay and promotions.
But that’s not the end of the story.
For the last year, the National Women’s Law Center and advocates across the country have pushed Congress for a solution. Today, Congress offered one!
Tell your Members of Congress to stand by the women of Wal-Mart by co-sponsoring the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012.
Getting co-sponsors on this bill will help it to gain momentum — and we need you to help us move forward!
So what would this bill do?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012 would remove the obstacles the Supreme Court placed in the way of ordinary Americans seeking their day in court. It offers a clear path for women workers to come together as a group to challenge discrimination. And it would make sure that no employer is too big to be held accountable.
Individual workers — many of whom live paycheck to paycheck — should not be required to stand alone against some of the largest corporations in the world to end discrimination. This bill recognizes the reality of workers’ lives and offers an alternative.
Please tell your Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012. Act now for Betty Dukes, the women of Wal-Mart, and all women workers who suffer from discrimination in pay, in hiring, and in promotions.
Thank you for all that you do.
Sincerely,

Emily J. Martin Vice President and General Counsel National Women’s Law Center

P.S. For more information, check out NWLC’s new fact sheets on the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012 and the extreme wage gap for retail workers.

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Help Close the Pregnancy Loophole …Emily J. Martin, National Women’s Law Center

06/19/2012 Nativegrl77


	Help Close the Pregnancy Loophole



	Tell your Representative to co-sponsor the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to ensure that pregnant women are treated fairly on the job.

	Call (202) 224-3121 today!

Yes it’s true: In 2012, getting pregnant can still cost you your job.
Thanks to a gap opened between discrimination laws and disability laws by court decisions, some employers are refusing to accommodate even simple requests that help workers maintain a healthy pregnancy.
Here are three startling examples of women who, thanks to the pregnancy loophole, were fired for doing what was best for their pregnancies:

A retail sales associate in Salina, Kansas was fired for drinking water while working because it violated store policy.
A nursing home activities director in Valparaiso, Indiana lost her job because she could no longer lift heavy tables, an activity that took up less than 10 minutes of her workday and with which her coworkers routinely volunteered to assist.
A pregnant truck driver in Tennessee was instructed by her obstetrician not to lift more than 20 pounds and sought light duty work. Her employer terminated her, as it made such modifications only to those injured on the job.

Sounds crazy, right? Unfortunately, thousands of pregnant women are forced to choose between losing their jobs (or taking unpaid leave) and endangering their pregnancies, when just a few small workplace accommodations are usually all that’s needed.
To close this egregious pregnancy loophole, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was introduced today in the House of Representatives by Reps. Nadler (D-NY) and a number of his colleagues. To give this bill a solid start, we need as many Representatives to co-sponsor this bill as possible.
Will you take 3 minutes to call your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act? Calling is easy to do.

Call (202) 224-3121.
Tell the operator who answers the phone the name of your Representative. (Not sure? Look it up here.)
Once you are connected to the office of your Representative, tell the staff person who answers:
- Your name, that you are a constituent from (city, state).
- I am calling to ask you to co-sponsor the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. It’s time to close the pregnancy loophole and ensure that pregnant women are treated fairly on the job.
- Thank you.
Hang up and ask your friends or co-workers to make a call as well.

Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,

Emily J. Martin Vice President and General Counsel National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Want to learn more? Read the Op-Ed in The New York Times that inspired this bill. And check out a fact sheet on the bill from the National Women’s Law Center.

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Help Senator Mikulski(D-MD) get the Paycheck Fairness Act passed

05/21/2012 Nativegrl77

“Ladies, put your lipstick on, square your shoulders, and get ready to do battle. This calls for a revolution!”

That’s what Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) said on the floor of the Senate during the successful fight to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. And now she needs our help for the next battle over equal pay — passing the Paycheck Fairness Act.

In the coming weeks, we expect a Senate vote on this vital legislation so we need you to contact your Senators today

Please tell your Senators to show their support for equal pay by co-sponsoring the Paycheck Fairness Act.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would deter wage discrimination by updating the nearly 50-year-old Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their own wages to coworkers.

No law prohibits employers from penalizing and even firing employees just for TALKING about their salaries. By leaving workers in the dark, workers are prevented from ever learning they are experiencing pay discrimination in their workplace.

Please take two minutes to tell your Senators to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act and support equal pay.

Your Senators need to hear from you now! The last time the Senate voted on the Paycheck Fairness Act, in 2010, it fell just a few votes short of moving forward. Women and their families can’t afford for that to happen again.

Thanks for taking action today.

Sincerely,

Fatima Goss Graves Vice President for Education and Employment National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Please donate $10 today to support the Center’s work to eliminate the wage gap and press for other policies critical to women and their families.

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They Forgot Who They’re Talking To … Judy Waxman, National Women’s Law Center

05/16/2012 Nativegrl77

National Women's Law Center - I Will Not Be Denied: Protect Women's Health Care

This week is National Women’s Health Week — a time for women to remind ourselves to put our health first. Some politicians are determined to put women’s health first, too — first on the chopping block.Opponents of the health care law are dead-set on finding ways to undermine it. And, if they win, our health will be undermined, too. Watch our new video! Then, share it with your friends, family, and co-workers and ask them to join the fight to protect the law.

For generations, women have overcome obstacles, exceeded expectations and fought for equality. We fought discrimination in the health insurance market, where women have been considered a pre-existing condition and denied health coverage due to a previous Caesarean section or a history of domestic violence or rape. We fought to end the discriminatory practice of insurance companies charging women more than men for health coverage, simply because we are women. And we won: the health care law finally ends these odious practices.

But opponents of the health care law are working to take our victories away. We must stay vigilant to ensure these victories stay in place for generations to come. Watch the new video from our I Will NOT Be Denied™ campaign, and then share it with your friends, family, and co-workers.

Thank you for working for quality, affordable health care for women and their families.

Sincerely,

Judy Waxman
Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Your support allows us to continue to fight for women’s health care as well as work on many other critical issues. Please consider making a contribution today.

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Bacon grease as birth control?

05/15/2012 Nativegrl77

National Women's Law Center - My Health Is Not Up for Debate: Protect Reproductive Health


	Bacon Grease and Marriage Licenses?



	Ask your mom, aunt, grandmother her story about the challenges of accessible birth control or share your own story with us.

Yes, that’s right – creative uses of bacon grease and having to show your marriage license to get a prescription for birth control is what many of our mothers, great aunts, and grandmothers endured.

Check out the stories we’ve received and share stories from your mom, grandmother, aunt, or yourself about the challenges of gaining access to birth control.

It’s been nearly fifty years since the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Connecticut v Griswold struck down state bans on birth control. Yet women in at least 24 states have reported that their pharmacists have denied them access to birth control. And politicians are not making it any easier by trying to limit access to affordable contraception and other women’s health care needs.

Help us collect stories to remind our daughters and granddaughters about the fights we have won — and help them fight the challenges that lie ahead. Ask your mom, aunt, or grandmother her story about the challenges of accessible birth control or share your own story with us.

Sincerely,