On Monday, the country will celebrate Labor Day – a national holiday established to honor the strength of America’s workers and its unions. All workers who are in unions benefit from higher wages, better benefits, retirement security and more – but the union difference for today’s women is especially striking, particularly when it comes to fair pay.
It’s Women’s Equality Day – a commemoration of the 19th Amendment and women’s steady march toward equality, a tribute to how far we have come, and a reminder of the work still to do.
Today, the Supreme Court ruled that the women of Wal-Mart cannot proceed as a group as they challenge the company’s discriminatory pay and promotion practices. It was a disappointing day for the women involved in the case and for all of us who are fighting for fair pay and fair opportunities for advancement for America’s women. But today’s decision is not the end.
In a few months, the Supreme Court will decide if the women in the landmark Dukes v. Wal-Mart wage discrimination case will get their day in court to challenge unfair pay and promotions. Today, on Equal Pay Day, Senator Barbara Mikulski and Representative Rosa DeLauro will re-introduce the Paycheck Fairness Act – legislation that would establish workplace supports to help advance fair, discrimination-free workplaces. Both are big news in the fight for fair pay this year, and both represent critical ways to combat the wage discrimination that continues to hurt America’s women and their families.
It’s Equal Pay Day. Today, we recognize that women have had to work nearly a quarter of the year to make the same amount as their male counterparts did last year. On average, women who work full time in the United States are still paid $10,622 less per year than full-time working men.
President Obama hit the mark during his recent Women’s History Month address on fair pay when he said that “achieving equal pay for equal work isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s a family issue.” At the National Partnership, we’ve been saying the same thing for decades: when women do better, families do better. It couldn’t be more true.
It’s fitting that the landmark pay discrimination case, Wal-Mart v. Dukes, is being argued before the Supreme Court today, Tuesday, March 29th. Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into the year women must work to match the amount paid to men in the previous year, falls on a Tuesday.
Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Wal-Mart v. Dukes – the high profile class action case involving 1.6 million women who have worked at Wal-Mart.
The Women of Wal-Mart Deserve Their Day in Court to Challenge Unfair Pay
Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—the agency that enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination—announced that charges of discrimination hit an unprecedented level in 2010. News coverage over the past few days has focused on who or what is to blame, and what this could mean for the future.
A few weeks ago, voters sent a clear message: They want Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to address the issues facing working families. But when Senators took their first vote after returning to Washington, they missed the chance to do just that. Yesterday’s vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act was a failed opportunity and a real disappointment for all of us who care about fairness, women’s progress, and economic security for working families.
Today, the Senate returns to Washington — and the Paycheck Fairness Act is one of the first bills on its agenda. Passing the Paycheck Fairness Act is more important than ever.
President Obama has made protecting women’s economic security a priority since Day One.
It is well-documented that the wage gap hurts women and their families by denying them the fair wages that would help them pay for essential items like groceries, gasoline, and rent or mortgage payments. But the pay gap hurts women long after they have left the workforce, too.
Congress has only a few weeks left before it adjourns for the election – and the Senate still hasn’t taken up the Paycheck Fairness Act. Time is running out, and women deserve – and need – fair pay.
Today is Women’s Equality Day, when we celebrate the fact that, 90 years ago, a group of dedicated women and men made history when the 19th Amendment passed, guaranteeing a woman’s right to vote.
Today the Obama Administration issued a rousing call to action on two of the most important priorities for working women and families — equal pay for equal work, and strong work-family policies.
They’ll be talking about you and me, when Vice President Biden hosts an event focusing on some of the issues that matter most to women’s economic security: equal pay and work-family policies.
In 1963, the Equal Pay Act, which prohibits employers from paying women less than men for the same work, became law. A lot has changed in the workplace since then. But the Equal Pay Act is still pretty much the same as it was 47 years ago.
My mother has worked full-time in New York for most of her life. New data from the Center for American Progress shows that because of the wage gap between men and women, my mom lost out on $312,000 over her working life.
