Paycheck Fairness Act Sign On Letter
Co-Sponsor and Support the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 797, H.R. 1519)
May 25, 2012
Dear Member of Congress:
On behalf of a broad coalition of organizations that promote economic opportunity for women
and full enforcement of antidiscrimination laws, we strongly urge you to support and co-sponsor
the Paycheck Fairness Act, which was reintroduced in the 112th Congress. The Paycheck
Fairness Act has twice passed the U.S. House of Representatives, and it fell just two votes short
of a Senate vote on its merits in the 111th Congress.
Congress took an important step in passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. That vital
law reverses the Supreme Court's decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and
helps to ensure that individuals subjected to unlawful compensation discrimination are able to
effectively assert their rights under the federal anti-discrimination laws. But the Lilly Ledbetter
Fair Pay Act, critical as it is, is just one of many tools needed to address unfair wage disparities.
The Paycheck Fairness Act updates and strengthens the Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963 to ensure
that it will provide effective protection against sex-based pay discrimination. Toward that end,
the comprehensive bill bars retaliation against workers who voluntarily discuss or disclose their
wages. It allows women to receive the same remedies for sex-based pay discrimination that are
currently available to those subject to discrimination based on race and ethnicity. And it also
provides much needed training and technical assistance as well as data collection and research.
In this tough economy, more and more families are counting on women's earnings. Unfair pay
practices make things even harder, especially for those families who rely solely on female
earnings. Women continue to be paid, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar paid to men.
This persistent wage gap can be addressed only if women and all other workers are armed with
the tools necessary to challenge discrimination against them, and employers are provided with
effective incentives and technical assistance to comply with the law.
It's time to make real progress on fair pay. We urge you to co-sponsor and work to swiftly pass
the Paycheck Fairness Act. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Fatima
Goss Graves, Vice President for Education and Employment at the National Women's Law
Center, at (202) 588-5180, Lisa Maatz, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations at
the American Association of University Women, at (202) 785-7720, or Deborah J. Vagins,
Senior Legislative Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, at (202) 715-0816.
Sincerely,
9to5, National Association of Working Women
9to5 Atlanta Working Women
9to5 Bay Area (CA)
9to5 Colorado
9to5 Los Angeles
9to5 Milwaukee
African American Ministers in Action (AAMIA)
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 2626
American Federation of Teachers
Alcorn State University Library
Alliance for Justice
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
AAUW of Alabama
AAUW of Alaska
AAUW of Arizona
AAUW of Arkansas
AAUW of California
AAUW of Colorado
AAUW of Connecticut
AAUW of Delaware
AAUW of District of Columbia
AAUW of Florida
AAUW of Georgia
AAUW of Hawaii
AAUW of Idaho
AAUW of Illinois
AAUW of Indiana
AAUW of Iowa
AAUW of Kansas
AAUW of Kentucky
AAUW of Louisiana
AAUW of Maine
AAUW of Maryland
AAUW of Massachusetts
AAUW of Michigan
AAUW of Minnesota
AAUW of Mississippi
AAUW of Missouri
AAUW of Montana
AAUW of Nebraska
AAUW of Nevada
AAUW of New Hampshire
AAUW of New Jersey
AAUW of New Mexico
AAUW of New York
AAUW of North Carolina
AAUW of North Dakota
AAUW of Ohio
AAUW of Oklahoma
AAUW of Oregon
AAUW of Pennsylvania
AAUW of Rhode Island
AAUW of South Carolina
AAUW of South Dakota
AAUW of Tennessee
AAUW of Texas
AAUW of Utah
AAUW of Vermont
AAUW of Virginia
AAUW of Washington
AAUW of West Virginia
AAUW of Wisconsin
AAUW of Wyoming
AFL-CIO
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)
American Library Association-Allied Professional Association
Arizona Library
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance & APALA Education Fund
Association for Women in Science (AWIS)
Association of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculty
Shippensburg University Chapter
Association of Title IX Administrators
A Better Balance: The Work & Family Legal Center
Catalyst
Center for American Progress Action Fund
Coalition on Human Needs
Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW)
California Capital Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Central California Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Central Indiana Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Chicago Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
District of Columbia Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Florida State Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Genesee County Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Greater Kansas City Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Greater New Jersey Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Las Vegas Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Los Angeles Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Metropolitan DC Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Mile High (Denver) Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Northern Virginia (NOVA) Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Philadelphia Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Southwestern PA Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Texas State, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Austin Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Dallas Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Fort Worth Area Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Houston Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Northeast Texas Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Washington State Chapter, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Colorado Association of Libraries
Communications Workers of America
Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
Denton Public Library
Dialogue on Diversity
Disciples Justice Action Network
Equal Pay Coalition NYC
Equal Rights Advocates
Federally Employed Women (FEW)
Feminist Majority
Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.
Interfaith Worker Justice
Interfaith Worker Justice Committee of Colorado
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists
and Allied Crafts of the United States Local 893 (IATSE)
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
International Union, United Auto Workers
Jewish Women International
Kentucky Library Association
Labor Project for Working-Families
Lakeshores Library System and Wisconsin Library Association
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Legal Momentum
Maine Women’s Lobby
Massachusetts Library Association
Michigan Pay Equity Network
Minnesota Library Association
Mississippi Library Association
MomsRising
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation Black Women’s Roundtable (NCBCP)
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council of Women’s Organizations
National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc
National Congress of Black Women
National Committee on Pay Equity
National Council of Women’s Organizations
National Education Association
National Employment Law Project
National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)
National Fastpitch Coaches Association
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
National Organization for Women
Alexandria County NOW
Anne Arundel County Chapter NOW
Beaver Valley Chapter NOW
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania Chapter NOW
Blue Mountain Chapter NOW
Brooklyn NOW
Bucks County NOW
Cincinnati, Ohio NOW
Contra Costa, CA NOW
Davison, Michigan Chapter NOW
Des Moines NOW
Disability Right Committee
East End NOW
Florida KEYS NOW
Genesee County NOW
Greater Grand Rapids Chapter NOW
Greater New Haven Chapter NOW
Greater Rochester NOW
Islandia, NY NOW
Maryland Chapter NOW
Middlesex County Chapter NOW
Mid-Suffolk Chapter NOW
Minnesota NOW
Miracle Mile, LA Chapter NOW
Montgomery County, Maryland NOW
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Chapter NOW
Nevada NOW
New Mexico NOW
North Dallas Chapter NOW
Northern New Jersey Chapter NOW
Oakland County Chapter NOW
Omaha, Nebraska NOW
Pacific Shore NOW
Seattle NOW
Palm Beach County NOW
Palm Beach, FL Chapter NOW
Pittsburgh Chapter NOW
Phoenix/Scottsdale NOW
Redford State, Michigan Chapter NOW
San Gabriel Valley/Whittier NOW
San Juan County NOW
SC/SCW Peoria Chapter NOW
Seattle Chapter NOW
South Hills NOW
South Jersey Alice Paul Chapter NOW
Southern Nevada NOW
Springfield, Illinois Chapter NOW
St. Joseph Valley NOW
Squirrel Hill Chapter NOW
Sun City, Arizona Chapter NOW
Syracuse, NY NOW
Tampa Chapter NOW
Thurston County Chapter NOW
Tompkins County, NY NOW
Utah Chapter NOW
Virginia Chapter NOW
Washington County NOW
Washington State Chapter NOW
Wayne County Chapter NOW
West Suburban Chapter NOW
Wetumpka, Alabama NOW
Williamsport, Pennsylvania Chapter NOW
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Women’s Law Center
National Women’s Political Caucus
NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
New Moon Girls
New York Women’s Agenda
OWL- The Voice of Midlife and Older Women (The Older Women’s League)
Paterson Public Library
PathWays PA
Paul Pratt Memorial Library
People For the American Way
Pickens Co. Library System
Prince George’s County Memorial Library System
Project Single Moms Worldwide, Inc.
Region XI Council Blacks in Government
Rodef Shalom Sister
Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
SC State Library
Sisters of Mercy of the Americans Institute Justice Team
Temple Beth El
Temple Beth El Sisterhood
Temple Israel
Temple Israel Sisterhood
Tikkun/Network of Spiritual Progressives
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Association
United Auto Workers
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)
United Methodist Women
United Steelworkers
University of Delaware Library
US Women’s Chamber of Commerce
The WAGE Project, Inc.
Washington Area Women's Foundation
Wider Opportunities for Women
Women Employed
Women of Color Policy Network, NYU Wagner
Women of Reform Judaism
Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis
Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER)
Women’s Law Project
Women’s Research and Education Institute (WREI)
Women’s Sports Foundation
The Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring
YP4 Action
YWCA USA