U.S. Moms Applaud Senate Passage of Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

NEWS RELEASE

January 23, 2009

CONTACT: Gretchen Wright, 202/371-1999

U.S. Moms Applaud Senate Passage of

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

MomsRising.org, the online and on-the-ground grassroots organization for moms and everyone who has a mom, praised the U.S. Senate for passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which will make it easier for employees to sue for pay discrimination. MomsRising.org mobilized its more than 150,000 members in support of the legislation soon after Congress took up the legislation following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear.

“We are now one step closer to ensuring equal pay for equal work, no matter who you are or where you work,” said MomsRising.org Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “This legislation is especially important for the nation’s moms who are 79 percent less likely to be hired than non-mothers with the exact same resumes. And when they are hired, are also likely to be paid substantially less than men and other women for the same work. This is particularly true for single moms. It’s not right and it’s not fair and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will help to right that wrong.”

MomsRising.org members and their friends and families helped support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act through online and in-person actions, including:

MomsRising.org members sent in and delivered nearly 9,000 resumes to Senator John McCain's office after he refused to support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, saying that women don't need fair pay, they need “more education and training.”

MomsRising.org partnered with MoveOn to generate 21,072 signatures on a petition that said, “I'm offended by Senator McCain's statement that women need more education and training instead of guaranteed pay equity. Senator McCain and every other senator must support legislation that would help guarantee equal pay for equal work.”

MomsRising.org members helped generate 28,722 signatures on a “We Need Equal Pay for Equal Work” petition in support of the Fair Pay Act and helped generate an additional 11,000 signatures on a similar petition circulated by the Color of Change.

MomsRising.org members met with 44 in-district U.S. Senate offices in 24 states to deliver petition signatures in support of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and generated 65,046 letters to Members of Congress in favor of the legislation.

In December, MomsRising.org partnered with The Center for American Progress Action Fund and I Am Progress on the Out of the Way of Fair Pay campaign, urging the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to end its opposition to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act.

"We at MomsRising.org and our members all across the country are delighted that Congress has taken this important step toward helping reduce disparities in pay,” said MomsRising.org President Joan Blades. “President Obama has already supported this legislation and we look forward to seeing him sign it into law as soon as possible.”

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MomsRising.org is an online grassroots organization that is working for paid family leave, flexible work options, excellent childcare and health care for all children, and to stop the wage and hiring biases that penalize so many mothers today. MomsRising.org has more than 150,000 members across the United States.