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News release

U.S. Moms Praise House Passage of Fair Pay Legislation, Urge Rapid Senate Action

January 9, 2009
Equal Pay

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

MomsRising.org, the online and on-the-ground grassroots organization for moms and everyone who has a mom, today applauded the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of two bills that will help promote fair pay for women in the workforce.
 
“We are delighted to see the House pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act,” said MomsRising.org Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “This is an important step forward for women and mothers. In particular, we want to thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Representatives George Miller (D-CA) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) for their leadership and tireless efforts to get these bills passed. We now urge the Senate to move quickly, so that President-Elect Obama can sign these bills into law as soon as he takes office.”
 
MomsRising.org mobilized its more than 150,000 members and their friends and families across the country in support of both bills. Actions taken include:
  • 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 Senators 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.
“Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in May 2007 on the Lilly Ledbetter case, MomsRising.org members have been extremely active in the fight to restore and improve pay equity laws,” said MomsRising.org President Joan Blades. “Seeing our hard work come to fruition is deeply gratifying and proves that there’s no power like mom power.”
 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.