Washington, DC – A broad-based coalition of women's, labor, and civil rights groups sent a letter to the Senate today, just 24 hours before Equal Pay Day, to show a united front in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182) and to urge action. Equal Pay Day, observed this year on April 28, reminds the nation of the gross inequities facing women, who must work from January 2008 through April 2009 to earn what their male counterparts received in 2008 alone.
To read the letter, visit: http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/SignOnSenatePaycheckFairness2009.pdf. The letter, signed by nearly 300 organizations, closes with a clear message: "It's time for the Senate to join the House and continue its efforts to make real progress on fair pay. We urge you to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act and work swiftly to pass it."
Below, more than 20 CEOs share their personal thoughts about why pay equity and the Paycheck Fairness Act, a much-needed update to the 45-year-old Equal Pay Act, are more timely and critical than ever.
"The Alliance for Justice joins the growing chorus of groups committed to passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. As an organization dedicated to ensuring access to justice for all, this bill furthers those efforts by making it easier for women to file class action claims against discriminatory employers; places the burden on employers to justify wage disparities; and mandates robust court enforcement in accordance with the purpose of the law."
— Nan Aron, President, Alliance for Justice
"In these tough economic times, the issue of pay equity takes on an added sense of urgency. This is just one of the reasons why we're urging the Senate to join the House and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act."
— Linda D. Hallman, CAE, Executive Director, American Association of University Women (AAUW)
"President Obama has indicated that he supports fair pay for American workers. Now it is up to us to rally our Senators with tweets, emails, calls, and letters to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act."
— Caroline Fredrickson, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office
"Working women still earn a fraction of what men do, and that lowers the standard of living for entire families and communities. In order to remedy this injustice and create an economy that works for everyone regardless of gender, we must enact the Paycheck Fairness Act."
— John Sweeney, President, AFL-CIO
"Once again working women around the country will be commemorating Equal Pay Day and the persistent wage gap it represents. It is frustrating that forty-six years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women still make 22% less men. Eliminating the wage gap is good for families and for business, especially during a recession. That is why we encourage the Senate to quickly pass the Paycheck Fairness Act which strengthens the Equal Pay Act and guarantees that women workers are not shortchanged solely because of their gender."
— Deborah L. Frett, CEO, Business and Professional Women/USA
"Fairness and equity are moral principles that are long overdue in realizing the ideals of American democracy for everyone."
— Prof. Paul Kurtz, Chairman, Center for Inquiry
"The Coalition of Labor Union Women, representing thousands of working women in the United States calls upon the Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act which will go a long way in correcting wage discrimination. Equal Pay Day, April 28th recognizes that time when the average women's wage finally catches up to what men earn from the year before- let's make it a time to celebrate - pass the Paycheck Fairness Act now!"
— Marsha Zakowski, National President, Coalition of Labor Union Women
"Congress must take the necessary steps to close the wage gap. Women do not get a 25% discount on their bread, rent or other living costs. Immediate passage by the Senate of the Paycheck Fairness Act is the next essential step to close the wage gap for women."
— Eleanor Smeal, President, Feminist Majority
"We cannot have a sustainable national economic recovery without increasing women's economic security. By taking steps, like passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, we can improve the lives of women, children and families and strengthen the nation."
— Irasema Garza, President, Legal Momentum
"Passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act would be a crucial instrument in remedying discriminatory practices that have kept many women from earning salaries commensurate with those of their male colleagues in identical jobs. This kind of discrimination has seriously hurt women -- particularly mothers who earn only 73 cents to every dollar that men make. Equal pay for equal work isn't yet the norm. This legislation is long overdue."
— Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director, MomsRising.org
"The wage gap hurts women and their families. The Paycheck Fairness Act will help to close it."
— Michele Leber, Chair, National Committee on Pay Equity
"The Paycheck Fairness Act is an essential companion to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. The two work together to move our nation closer toward economic equality and empowerment for all women. NCJW looks forward to the Senate's passage of this legislation which will codify this bedrock principle into federal law."
— Nancy Ratzan, President, National Council of Jewish Women
"As private civil rights lawyers specializing in employment matters, NELA members regularly confront the practical realities that women and all employees face when they challenge unlawful pay discrimination. The Paycheck Fairness Act affirms the fundamental principle that pay must be determined solely by the quality of an individual's work, without regard to gender, race, religion, national origin, disability or sexual orientation."
— Terisa E. Chaw, Executive Director, National Employment Lawyers Association
"The jury is in, the studies are done, and the conclusions are consistent: the gender pay gap stubbornly persists even after controlling for years of education, work experience and type of occupation. Clearly some employers will keep discriminating if they can get away with it, and it's Congress' job to pass more effective laws – like the Paycheck Fairness Act – so they can't."
— Kim Gandy, President, National Organization for Women
"Equal Pay Day offers a sobering reminder that a stubborn wage gap persists in our country, and it's undermining family economic security in ways that are especially devastating during this recession. America urgently needs lawmakers to ignore the distortions and scare tactics of opponents and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, to advance fair pay and promote the economic security women and families need."
— Debra L. Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families
"Unfortunately, our country is far from realizing the promise of equal pay for equal work. Especially during these economically perilous times, we cannot afford to allow discrimination to continue to unfairly reduce women's pay. This is a matter of sound economics, fundamental fairness, and urgent importance to women and their families."
—Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President, National Women's Law Center
"You can't save what you don't earn! Pay equity is critical in keeping women free from poverty later in life."
— Ashley Carson, Executive Director, OWL – The Voice of Midlife and Older Women
"Women and minorities, who comprise the majority of those living on welfare and in poverty, are disproportionately affected by pay discrimination; equitable pay is not only a right, but a vital step in enabling women to pull themselves out of poverty."
— Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
"After 46 years, it is time to strengthen the Equal Pay Act by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. Wage discrimination not only reduces the economic security of working women and their families, it compounds over time to lower income if not poverty for women in retirement." — Joan Kuriansky, Executive Director, Wider Opportunities for Women
"The Cable industry's adoption of pay equity policies championed by WICT's PAR Initiative (Pay Equity, Advancement opportunities and Resources for work/life support) reflects a commitment to pay accountability and transparency. WICT understands that most women employed in the United States suffer a sizable gender pay gap. WICT supports the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182) as an important step towards ensuring the financial security of women, families and the economy as a whole."
— Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, President & CEO, Women in Cable Telecommunications
"The USWCC actively supports this bill. Small businesses that pay fairly and play fairly have an additional competitive disadvantage to the Corporate Giants who actively discriminate."
— Margot Dorfman, CEO, U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce™
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AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. Since 1881, AAUW has been one of the nation's leading voices promoting education and equity for women and girls. It has a nationwide network of 100,000 members, 1,300 branches, and 500 college/university institutional partners. Since its founding more than 127 years ago, members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political. AAUW's commitment to educational equity is reflected in its public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships, and international connections.
Visit the AAUW website at www.aauw.org.
