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Showing posts with label paycheck fairness act. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paycheck fairness act. Show all posts
IF congress doesn't pass the +Lilly Ledbetter Paycheck Fairness Act this year, if our government fails to make equal pay for men and women the law of the land this year, it would be a dream come true to see women organize, nation wide, and hit the corporations who are directing the politicians who are keeping this from becoming law by boycotting Black Friday and the entire weekend. Money talks, and if women just had the courage to put aside all their other differences for just one three day weekend in November and united in a boycott of all shopping for the entire weekend I bet just the threat of it would get congress to act. Right now we can all help put pressure on congress to pass this bill by signing this petition. Click the link, and then start the discussion of a 2014 Black Friday boycott....
Please join Daily Kos and the National Partnership for Women &
Families in urging Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. Click here to sign the petition.
In honor of Equal Pay Day coming up in a few weeks, the National
Partnership for Women & Families is working to remind the country
about how badly the wage gap hurts women and their families.
Women who work full time, year-round in this country are still paid
about 77 cents for every dollar paid to men. That’s groceries
hardworking women can’t afford to buy, rent they can’t pay, and gasoline
they can’t put in their cars. The Paycheck Fairness Act would close
loopholes in current law to stop wage discrimination and promote fair
pay.
Every member of Congress should support this bill.
The National Partnership has been responsible for some landmark
victories over the years -- including the passage of the Pregnancy
Discrimination Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, key provisions in
Obamacare, and so much more. Let's help add the Paycheck Fairness Act to
that list.
HEY all you tea-bagging gop women! Congrats!!!! Whether you voted or didn't, the people you sent to Congress with the results of the mid-term elections of 2010 are already paying you back, and they haven't even taken office yet. They are setting the agenda though, and so you will keep earning less than men for doing the same job, and it is all legal! White women, you'll make $.78 for every dollar a man earns; Black women, you'll get $.62 on the dollar and Latina women, you get $.53 on the dollar. That is what you all wanted.....isn't it?!?!?!?!?
Well, it didn't take long. The Republican Party was handed a historic opportunity with women. For the first time since the advent of exit polling data in 1982, women voters favored the GOP in the 2010 election. A rather shocking occurrence given that just two short years ago, President Obama had a 14 point advantage with women. What does the GOP do with this historic opportunity? Blow it!
Wednesday, The Senate voted 58-41 against allowing debate on the Paycheck Fairness Act. Not a single Republican voted "yea." Wise up there GOP -- if you have any hopes of taking the White House in 2012, you'll need women voters. But after shooting down the Paycheck Fairness Act Wednesday and perpetuating a boys' club in Congress, you ain't showing us much.
Here's what we know from the 2010 election: issue #1 for women is economic security. That's why women gave the GOP a once in a generation opportunity to win us over. Absurdly, the Republican Party then turns around and pushes women away by thwarting our financial security. Ya know, us 'wimminz' -- the primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of American families.
Is the Paycheck Fairness Act perfect? No. Does it solve the disparity of pay that women face? Not totally. But it is a huge step towards women's financial security. Sadly, here's what the GOP said to women Wednesday: "we don't believe women deserve to make the same wage as men for doing the same job." It's not much more complicated than that. Even if the bill in it's current form (which likely no Republican Senator actually read) wasn't nirvana, then bring it to the floor and hash it out.
There's plenty of blame to go around. And, it's time for some accountability! Here are the recipients of the Paycheck Fairness Act Coward Awards. 1. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) -- after courageously going against their party to vote with the Democrats in February 2009 for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Wednesday Senators Snowe and Collins showed that they care more about their 2012 re-elections than women. Cowards! 2. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) -- after much ballyhoo as a bipartisan leader for women, including voting for the Fair Pay Act and a joint appearance with Secretary Clinton at the Women's History Museum, Senator Hutchinson let us down. Coward! 3. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) -- who also voted for the Fair Pay Act, recently boasted that she will not be beholden to the GOP. She will, however, sell-out women. Standing ovation on the Senate Floor Tuesday - jet set out of town before the vote Wednesday. Coward! 4. Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett (D) (Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls) -- progressive blogger Joanne Bamberger said it best on Facebook: President Obama and his advisor Valerie Jarrett have said time and again they are committed to passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act and it was a priority to them. Wednesday, fair pay failed by 2 votes. They couldn't use their "commitment" to women to get us 2 votes?
It's unclear which offense is worse: not fighting for women or being completely ineffectual as Chair of the White House Council. What is clear: Coward! 5. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) -- who has buried the Paycheck Fairness Act since its passage in the House in January 2009. Senator Reid failed to use the momentum of the passage of the Fair Pay Act. Fighter for women? You kidding? Coward!
The only ray of light for women in this fiasco is the continued ascension of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, an unabashed and unapologetic advocate for women. After being written off as an 'easy target' in 2010, Senator Gillibrand went on to slay over 30 would-be challengers, and then romp her opponent Joseph DioGuardi 62-36. Senator Gillibrand took the airwaves slamming the Republicans and clearly explaining how their actions Wednesday hurt both women and children:
Can you say: Gillibrand 2016!
As for the cowards, we need to hold them accountable. Even though it was the GOP that blew it this week, there's plenty of blame to go around.
What we do know from the 2010 election is that women's votes are in play. Time will tell which party will seize the opportunity!
ARTICLES and actions on paycheck fairness, gene ownership, Amazon and privacy, cell phone tracking, fbi monitoring, religion, Bagram and more. Read, participate and share!
ACLU Challenges Discriminatory Arizona School Tuition Program
Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in an ACLU case challenging an Arizona tax credit-funded school tuition program under which most of the state-funded, private school scholarships are unconstitutionally awarded on a religiously discriminatory basis.
Under the challenged program, Arizona scholarships are awarded by School Tuition Organizations (STOs). These organizations are certified and closely supervised by the state and financed exclusively by state income tax revenues. Taxpayers can direct their tax payments to the STOs for a 100 percent tax credit, rather than pay the Department of Revenue — essentially costing the taxpayers nothing. The cost is borne entirely by the state's general fund.
Since its passage in 1997, the tuition tax credit scheme has been dominated by religious discrimination. More than half of over $50 million awarded by STOs in 2009, for example, was awarded by STOs that required students to attend religious schools in order to receive scholarships. The Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization, a petitioner in this case, states that its goal is "to further Christian education by effectively implementing the provisions of [the program] for the benefit of Christian school students and their families."
"The decision to award scholarships in Arizona rests entirely in the hands of taxpayer-funded, state-sanctioned organizations, the majority of which are religious in nature," said Daniel Mach, Director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. "The government should have no role in supporting programs that play favorites when it comes to religion."
"By appointing religious organizations to disburse scholarships that are funded completely with tax revenues and allowing those organizations to grant scholarships based on the religion of applicants, the state is unconstitutionally engaging in religious discrimination," said Paul Bender, lead counsel, who argued the case for the plaintiffs. "We are hopeful that the Court will see that this is not a program of private taxpayer charity but a government spending program that supports religious discrimination."
Government Can Keep Basic Facts about Bagram Prisoners Secret, Federal Court Rules
The Defense Department can continue to withhold key information from the public about the hundreds of detainees imprisoned by the U.S. military at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, according to a federal court ruling last month.
The ruling came in an ACLU Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Defense Department and the CIA for records related to the detention and treatment of prisoners at Bagram (now known as Parwan). The Defense Department has released the names of the 645 prisoners who were detained there as of September 2009 but has kept secret other vital information, including their citizenship, how long they have been held, in what country they were captured and the circumstances of their capture.
The ACLU charged that the Defense Department is improperly withholding these basic facts about Bagram prisoners and their detention, and asked the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to order the Defense Department to turn over the information. In denying the ACLU's motion, the court also ruled that the CIA did not act improperly when it refused to even confirm or deny whether the CIA had records about the rendition and interrogation of Bagram detainees.
The U.S. military has announced its intention to transfer control of Bagram prison to the Afghan government next year. However, media outlets have reported that the Obama administration intends to maintain control over a portion of the prison and to continue detaining some prisoners in U.S. custody there, including non-Afghan terrorism suspects captured outside of Afghanistan and prisoners considered "enduring security threats."
"The public has a right to know how long the U.S. has kept people locked up in military detention and under what circumstances," said Melissa Goodman, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. "The lack of transparency about these key facts is even more disturbing considering the possibility that the U.S. will continue holding and interrogating prisoners at Bagram well into the future. Unfortunately, today's ruling will allow the government to continue hiding this vital information."
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When the Senate comes back to Washington on November 15 to finish its post-election work, one of the very first issues they will be voting on will be the Paycheck Fairness Act — legislation to finally achieve equal pay for men and women in the workplace. It's been 47 years since the passage of the Equal Pay Act, and yet, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, women, on average, make only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. The figures are even worse for women of color. African American women only earned approximately 61 cents and Latinas only 52 cents for each dollar earned by a white male. Chronic wage discrimination can deprive a woman of between $700,000 and $2 million over her career.
The House already passed this legislation. And the Senate is scheduled to vote on it as soon as November 17! We are very close to passage in this Congress, but we may not get another chance to finally close the wage gap for a very long time. That's why it's so important to let your senators know that you care about equal pay today.
The U.S. government filed a friend-of-the-court brief last week in a lawsuit brought by the ACLU and the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) challenging patents on human genes. The government agreed with our stance that isolated DNA is not patentable.
The ACLU and PUBPAT filed the lawsuit in May 2009 challenging the patents held by Myriad Genetics on the human genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The lawsuit charged that the patents stifle diagnostic testing and research that could lead to cures and that they limit women's options regarding their medical care. A federal court ruled in March 2010 that the patents on BRCA1 and 2 are invalid, and Myriad is appealing that ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
According to the government's brief, "The chemical structure of native human genes is a product of nature, and it is no less a product of nature when that structure is 'isolated' from its natural environment than are cotton fibers that have been separated from cotton seeds or coal that has been extracted from the earth."
"We are extremely gratified that the government has agreed with us that genes are products of nature and therefore not patentable," said Sandra Park, staff attorney with the ACLU Women's Rights Project and a lawyer on the case. "Gene patents restrict patients' access to their own genetic information and chill important research. The lower court correctly found that no one should be able to patent human genes, and we are confident the appeals court will uphold that decision."
Victory! Federal Court Upholds Amazon Users' Privacy and Free Speech Rights
Last month, a federal district court in Seattle ruled that the North Carolina Department of Revenue's (NCDOR) demands for detailed information about the purchases of Amazon.com customers violated the Constitution and the federal Video Privacy Protection Act.
NCDOR had asked for the records as part of a tax audit of Amazon. Amazon provided the agency with detailed information regarding the items purchased, including the dates of purchase, amount of purchases, and county to which the items were shipped — this being the only information, North Carolina has acknowledged, needed to assess sales taxes.
Amazon did not turn over records revealing its customers' identities and linking customers to specific purchases, even though the requests called for such information. After North Carolina refused to back down from its demand for user information and Amazon sued, the ACLU intervened on behalf of several North Carolina residents who feared that disclosure of the books, movies, music, and other items they had purchased would reveal highly personal and intimate details of their lives.
The court agreed that the government has no right to know such personal information. We applaud the court's ruling, the latest in a line of decisions making clear that the First Amendment limits the government's ability to seek information about individuals' reading, listening, or viewing choices. The court concluded, as we argued, that even the prospect of the government tracking these choices is harmful because it might cause any of us to fear buying perfectly legal materials online.
Requesting information about what people are purchasing online causes real harm to real people, and it is unconstitutional in these circumstances. The ACLU will continue to fight against government requests for information that is so personal and private — and is so fundamental to our society.
Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Warren Burger once said: "People in an open society do not demand infallibility from their institutions, but it is difficult for them to accept what they are prohibited from observing." Yet despite this sentiment and the benefits of transparency in government, television cameras are still banned from open Supreme Court proceedings.
This session alone, the court is scheduled to hear cases involving vital issues related to free speech, immigration, the establishment clause, and state secrets. Additional access to the court would allow Americans the opportunity to gain a better understanding of these issues and the debates surrounding them. Isn't it time the court moved into the 21st century and allowed the American people to witness first-hand the discussions surrounding these truly monumental issues?
In a move to correct this outdated situation, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) introduced a bipartisan bill that would allow broadcast television coverage of open Supreme Court proceedings. The bill has advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and now awaits a floor vote.
Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking Unconstitutional, Federal Judge Finds
In August, a New York federal court found that law enforcement agents are constitutionally obligated to get a warrant based on probable cause before obtaining historical cell phone location information. And in September, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals held that judges may order the government to get a warrant for cell phone location information based on probable cause. However, the 3rd Circuit also held that judges are not obligated to require probable cause and cautioned that they should only require the government to meet this high standard on rare occasions.
Now, another court has joined the fray. In a detailed opinion citing documents obtained through litigation by the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation, Judge Stephen Smith of the Southern District of Texas held that "warrantless disclosure of cell site data violates the Fourth Amendment."
A few aspects of the opinion are worth noting:
According to Judge Smith, "the Government seeks continuous location data to track the target phone over a two month period, whether the phone was in active use or not." This is notable because the cell tracking applications we have seen previously only sought location information for those moments when an individual actually made a phone call. The government is now asking for a great deal more information, and consequently, its requests are now more invasive than we previously thought.
Cell tracking information has grown to be more accurate over time. In fact, it is because of these "refinements in location-based technology" that Judge Smith concludes that requests for cell tracking information trigger the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement.
The Fourth Amendment requires the government to get a warrant and show probable cause to obtain historical cell tracking information. The court reached this conclusion both because cell tracking reveals information about constitutionally protected spaces, such as the home, and because the prolonged nature of such surveillance is very invasive.
The ACLU agrees with Judge Smith that the government should be required to obtain a warrant and show probable cause before obtaining cell tracking information. As powerful new technologies enhance the ability of government agents to track our every move, it becomes all the more important that the courts hold the government to a rigorous standard it's able to access such sensitive information.
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Ninety years ago, on August 26, 1920, the ratification of the 19th Amendment to our Constitution was completed, guaranteeing women the right to vote, renewing our commitment to equality and justice, and marking a turning point in our Nation's history. As we celebrate this important milestone and the achievements and shattered ceilings of the past, we also recognize the inequalities that remain and our charge to overcome them.
In a letter to John Adams, who was then serving as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, Abigail Adams once implored her husband to "remember the ladies" in the "new code of laws" of our fledgling country. It has taken the collective efforts of daring and tenacious women over many generations to realize the principles and freedoms enshrined in our Constitution. Standing on the shoulders of these trailblazers, we pay tribute to the brave women who dot the pages of our history books, and to those who have quietly broken barriers in our workplaces, communities, and society.
We can see the remarkable fruits of past struggles and victories today. For nearly two centuries, America could only imagine a female justice sitting on the Supreme Court of the United States. Today, for the first time in our Nation's history, three women sit on the bench of the highest court of the land, and I am proud to be the first President to nominate two women to the Court. Women lead in boardrooms and in our Armed Forces, in classrooms and conference rooms, and in every sector of society. Their boundless determination has enabled today's young women to dream bigger as they see themselves reflected at the highest levels of business, communications, and public service -- including in my Administration and Cabinet. If we continue to fight for our hopes and aspirations, there will be no limit to the possibilities for our daughters and granddaughters.
As we celebrate 90 years of progress on Women's Equality Day, we also recognize the realities of the present. Women comprise less than one-fifth of our Congress and account for a mere fraction of the chief executives at the helm of our biggest companies. Women hold only 27 percent of jobs in science and engineering, which are critical to our economic growth in a 21st-century economy. And, almost 50 years after the Equal Pay Act was enacted, American women still only earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn. This gap increases among minority women and those living with disabilities.
These disparities remind us that our work remains unfinished. My Administration remains committed to advancing women's equality in all areas of our society and around the world. I was proud to create the White House Council on Women and Girls to help ensure that American women and girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy. I also appointed the first White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, whose leadership will guide my Administration in confronting violence and sexual assault against women. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill I signed as President, restored basic protections against pay discrimination for women, and to build upon that law, I support passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act. I have also established the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to ensure equal pay laws are vigorously enforced throughout the country. Workplace flexibility is also important to women and families, and we will continue coordinating with Federal agencies to make quality child care more affordable, promote work policies that improve work-family balance, and advance the economic development and security of all women.
Fifteen years after the world gathered in Beijing for the Fourth World Conference on Women, far too many women around the world still lack access to basic education and economic opportunity, face gender-based violence, and cannot participate fully and equally in their societies. To help address this, I appointed the first-ever Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues to elevate the importance of women's empowerment in all aspects of our foreign policy. From Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United States will continue its commitment to the rights of women around the world.
Women's rights are ultimately human rights, and the march for equality will not end until full parity and equal opportunity are attained in every State and workplace across our Nation. It remains our responsibility to ensure that the principles of justice and equality apply to all Americans, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or socioeconomic status. If we stay true to our founding ideals and the example of those who insisted upon nothing less than full equality, we can and will perpetuate the line of progress that runs throughout our Nation's history for generations to come.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 26, 2010, as Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the United States to celebrate the achievements of women and recommit themselves to the goal of true gender equality in this country.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
Click the header to go to the action page to send this letter to your Senators.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, even today, women who work full time still earn, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar men earn. The figures are even worse for women of color. African American women still only earn approximately 61 cents and Latinas only 52 cents for each dollar earned by a white male.
But it’s not just cents we’re talking about. Chronic wage discrimination can deprive a woman of between $700,000 and $2 million over her career. The effect of wage discrimination follows its victims for a lifetime.
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was intended to close this pay gap. Unfortunately, due to loopholes and weak remedies in this law, the pernicious pay disparities persist. And now, due to rising unemployment rates, families need to bring home every dollar they rightfully earn – making pay equity even more necessary, not only to families’ economic security, but also to the nation's economic recovery.
The Paycheck Fairness Act, S. 182, makes several common sense changes to strengthen the Equal Pay Act -- putting in place enforcement tools needed to make real progress on pay equity.
The House of Representatives has already passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, and now, your help is needed to let the Senate know that working families cannot wait any longer. Especially in this economy, there is an urgent need to take action to ensure that women can receive equal pay for equal work by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. It’s only common cents.
We need your help to close the wage gap for women -- take action now! Here is the letter to your Senators
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women still make only 77 cents for every dollar made by their male counterparts doing the same work. The statistics are even worse for women of color. We ask you to help stop the persistent wage gap for women and support the Paycheck Fairness Act, S. 182. In January 2009, the House of Representatives passed this bill on a bipartisan basis, and now, your action in the Senate is needed.
The vitally important Paycheck Fairness Act will put an end to loopholes and weak remedies that have made the Equal Pay Act, a 47 year-old law that was supposed to ensure equal pay for women, less effective than it should be in combating wage discrimination. The bill would require employers to demonstrate that differences in wages among employees are not based on gender. It would also strengthen outreach, education, and enforcement efforts and prohibit retaliation against workers who ask about employers' wage practices.
Due to rising unemployment rates, families need to bring home every dollar they rightfully earn -- making pay equity even more necessary, not only to families' economic security, but also to the nation's economic recovery. It's time to work together to make real progress on pay equity. I urge you to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act (S.182) and to seek its swift passage -- without weakening amendments -- as soon as possible.
I am following this issue closely and look forward to your response.
