Womenstake

Farewell to Jocelyn Samuels, NWLC Vice President for Education and Employment

by Melanie Ross Levin, Outreach Manager, 
National Women’s Law Center 

After serving as the Vice President for Education and Employment for close to eight years at the National Women's Law Center, Jocelyn Samuels is moving on to work for the U.S. Justice Department in the Civil Rights Division. We’re sad to see her go — but we’re very happy that in her new position, she will continue to advocate for educational opportunities for women and girls. Check out her good-bye video message. 

Take Action: Break the Cycle of Teen Pregnancy

by Judy Waxman, Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights, 
and Jocelyn Samuels, Vice President for Education and Employment, 
National Women's Law Center 

Each year, 750,000 teens become pregnant. And teen pregnancy rates are far higher in the United States than in most developed countries.

Today, in honor of the 8th annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, tell your elected officials to support the Responsible Education About Life Act — because teens deserve comprehensive, medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education. 

Comprehensive sex education programs:

• Give young people complete and accurate information; 
• Promote responsible health practicies that lead to better health outcomes; and 
• Provide critical information about contraception and other basic health care. 

Helping teens prevent pregnancy also helps them stay in school. Girls who get pregnant as teenagers are less likely to graduate from high school than those who delay childbearing. Girls who drop out face high rates of unemployment, low wages, poor health and limited (if any) access to health insurance. Their children are more likely to have health problems and to drop out themselves. And so it goes ...

We must put the brakes on this cycle by preventing teen pregnancy. Urge your Members of Congress to stand up for the needs of young people by investing in comprehensive sex education and ending federal funding for abstinence-only programs.

Equal Pay Day! Women Catch Up With Men on 2008 Wages

by Jocelyn Samuels, Vice President for Education and Employment, 
National Women’s Law Center 

Cross-posted from AlterNet.

This time last year, women in the United States were earning 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, and we were urging Congress to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

What a difference a year makes. President Barack Obama has signed the Ledbetter bill into law, and we're light years ahead of where we were in 1963, when the Equal Pay Act was passed.

Back then, women earned a mere 59 cents for every dollar earned by men. Three months ago, as I stood in the White House with Ledbetter as Obama signed the law that bears her name, part of the thrill we experienced undoubtedly came from the knowledge of how far we've come over the past decades.

But the wage gap persists: Women still make only 78 cents for each dollar paid to men. And today, April 28, 2009, marks Equal Pay Day. That means that it is only as of this point that the average woman's wages have finally caught up with what the average man earned in 2008. And that's decidedly un-thrilling.

These statistics look at the wages paid to the average woman in comparison to those paid to the average man, but the situation is even more disturbing when you consider the impact of race and gender combined. White women earn 81 cents for every dollar paid to men. That's bad enough. But African American women earn only 69 cents, and Hispanic women only 59 cents, for every dollar paid to men. Our state-by-state comparison found that in some states, the average pay for all women is as low as 63 cents on the dollar.

Read the full post.

See who else is writing about workplace fairness for women on this Equal Pay Day.

Tell Congress to Support the President's Budget

by Joan Entmacher, Jocelyn Samuels and Judy Waxman
National Women’s Law Center

Think it’s time for new priorities — for a budget that puts the needs of women and their families ahead of the special interests? Then it’s time to act.

Call your Members of Congress today and tell them to support the President’s budget priorities. 

For the past eight years, we’ve opposed Administration budgets that cut supports for vulnerable women and children and neglected fundamental needs while redistributing wealth to the very wealthiest and piling up debt.

President Obama’s budget sets a dramatically different course. It turns away from the failed economic policies of the past and makes investments critical to our families and our future. It makes a serious down payment on comprehensive health reform, invests in education, starting with the first years of life, provides additional supports for those most vulnerable, and strengthens civil rights enforcement and worker protections. And it does so in a fair and responsible way: by cutting corporate subsidies, closing corporate tax loopholes, and beginning to make the very wealthy pay their fair share of taxes.

The fight over this budget is on — and it’s tough. While women are scrambling to make ends meet, powerful special interests are mobilizing to hang on to their tax breaks, their subsidies, and their padded contracts — and defeat President Obama's budget.

A Beautiful Day in (Almost) Spring

by Jocelyn Samuels, Vice President for Education and Employment

National Women's Law Center

I could get used to this. On Wednesday, I was invited to the White House for a second time -– on this occasion to witness the President signing an Executive Order to create a White House Council on Women and Girls. Needless to say, it was a thrilling experience. Both the President and the First Lady were in attendance, along with numerous members of the Cabinet (including some of the men – although, as the President noted, they were all seated in the second row) and of Congress. And the President’s remarks show that he really gets it. He talked, among other things, about the continuing wage gap, the persistent glass ceiling on women’s opportunities in the workplace, and the fact that one in four women is subject to domestic violence. And he gave a shout-out to strong Title IX enforcement, pointing out that both Lisa Leslie and Dominique Dawes were in the audience. (A picture was later taken of the very tall President with the even taller Lisa Leslie -– his huge grin showed how much he enjoyed that interaction!) 

The President’s words were inspirational. As he said, it's up to us to "ensure that our daughters and granddaughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements -- and that they have opportunities their mothers and grandmothers and great grandmothers never dreamed of."

It will, of course, take more than eloquent rhetoric to make that happen. And there’s lots of work ahead to make sure that the Council will in fact fulfill its mission of ensuring that agencies consider and address the impact of their policies and programs on women and coordinating a federal response to the challenges still faced by women and girls.

But what a start to the challenge. And what a thrill to have been a witness to it. 

Take Action - Vote This Week on Fair Pay

by Jocelyn Samuels, Vice President for Education and Employment
National Women's Law Center

This is the moment we've been waiting for. The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to act as soon as this week on fair pay for women — and we need your help.

Especially during these tough economic times, women need equal pay for equal work to ensure self-sufficiency and dignity. Please contact your Members of Congress now! 

The House is expected to vote soon on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act — key bills that would give women the tools they need to challenge pay discrimination. The Senate may follow with a vote as soon as early next week.

Please contact your Members of Congress today with a clear message: It’s time to sign, seal and deliver pay equity for all women by passing fair pay legislation immediately, so that President-Elect Obama can sign it into law during his first few days in office.

You can e-mail your lawmakers, or call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Ask the operator to connect you to your Senators and Representative. When you're connected to their offices, tell the person who answers the phone:

1. I am a constituent. My name is ____________.
2. I urge you to vote in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act, and to oppose any weakening amendments and any motions to recommit.
3. Thank you for supporting fair pay for women.

For an overview of our progress so far in the movement for fair pay, please visit our website.

Rally Thursday in D.C. for the Fair Pay Act

by Jocelyn Samuels, Vice President for Education and Employment
National Women's Law Center

I have exciting news!

This Thursday, Lilly Ledbetter -- the Alabama woman who was paid less than her male co-workers for nearly two decades -- will be standing alongside Congressional leaders, and supporters like you, to rally in support of the bill that bears her name, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

We hope you'll join us at the U.S. Capitol to show your support for fair pay for women!

Time: Thursday, July 17, 10 a.m.

Location: "Senate Swamp" -- corner of Constitution and Delaware Avenues, NE, across from the Senate Russell Office Building, near the Union Station Metro (view map)

Featuring:

• Lilly Ledbetter, plaintiff in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi
• Senator Barbara Mikulski
• Senator Hillary Clinton
• Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

Please RSVP if you'll be joining us so we can get a head count.

To learn more about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, visit our Fair Pay Campaign website.

See you there!

Congress Should Give Women a Real Gift This Anniversary

by Jocelyn Samuels, Vice President for Education and Employment
National Women’s Law Center

Forty-five years ago today, the Equal Pay Act made it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform equal work. 

You might think that 45 years would be enough time for a law to have lived up to its potential. But the wage gap persists — women still make, on average, only 77 cents on every dollar earned by men, and women of color fare even worse.

So what’s the problem? Some, like USA Today, would have you believe that the wage gap has little to do with continuing discrimination against women and much to do with the choices that women make, the education they have received, the fact that they don’t become entrepreneurs. That conclusion disregards the studies that have found that significant portions of the wage gap cannot, in fact, be explained by any factor other than discrimination. 

And how can we explain the persistence of discrimination? One significant reason is that the anti-discrimination laws have been weakened in ways that prevent them from serving the purposes Congress intended. Under Title VII, for example, the Supreme Court’s Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. decision makes it virtually impossible for women — or any employees, for that matter — to get into court to challenge pay discrimination against them. And courts have steadily undermined the Equal Pay Act to create gaping holes in the fabric of protections it was intended to provide. 

Breaking News: The Next Step for the Fair Pay Act

by Jocelyn Samuels, Vice President for Education and Employment
National Women’s Law Center

Tonight, I stood with Lilly Ledbetter in the U.S. Capitol as the Senators voted on a motion to advance the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a key bill that would have a major impact on the lives of women who've been subject to pay discrimination.

While significantly more than a majority of Senators voted to proceed on the bill, we didn’t get the 60 votes necessary to move to the next big step — scheduling a debate and vote on the bill itself. This was a travesty of justice, and a hard vote to witness.

But the fight isn’t over. Tonight’s vote was a cruel blow to American women and families. But we have already generated great support and this issue isn’t going to go away. We're calling on the Senate leadership to continue to bring up this bill until it passes.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act deserves fair consideration on the Senate floor. Now, we need you to help us turn up the heat on the Senate to get the job done.

Please check to see how your Senators voted. Then, give them a call at (202) 224-3121. Then, give them a call at (202) 224-3121. It's important for your Senators to know that you are paying attention to these key votes.

If your Senator voted YES:

Call (202) 224-3121. The Capitol operator will connect you to your Senators' offices. Please tell the person who answers the phone in your Senators' offices the following:

1. I am a constituent. My name is ________.
2. I would like to thank the Senator for voting in support of moving forward on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
3. I hope that the Senator will support the bill without amendments.

If your Senator voted NO:

Call (202) 224-3121. The Capitol operator will connect you to your Senators' offices. 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 disappointed that the Senator voted against moving the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act forward.
3. I urge the Senator to reconsider his/her vote.

Urgent — Call Your Senators Today!

by Jocelyn Samuels, Vice President for Education and Employment
National Women’s Law Center

This week is 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 tomorrow, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a 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 toll-free at (866) 338-1015 and ask them to vote "YES!" on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. To find your Senators’ names and direct contact information, please search our 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.

Please pass this on to your friends, family, and co-workers. It’s vital that we remind our lawmakers how strong the public support is for fair pay.