The House of Representatives will vote this week on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. The Senate will vote next week. These bills will help make pay equity a reality, not just a theory. Let’s make sure the House votes FOR fairness to women and FOR helping American families.
[From I Am Progress: I Make – Get Out of the Way of Fair Pay Campaign]
My response, added to their canned letter:
Please vote YES to pass the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. As I look around our community, I see my neighbors, your constituents, working hard to make ends meet. In these tough times, it is especially important that women, especially moms, are paid fairly for their work.
Of course, what is really needed is a linkage between Congressional pay and the minimum wage. Currently, a congressmember makes about 14 times per hour what a minimum wage worker makes, and that does not include the various other benefits of office a representative or senator can claim. I would like to see one of my national representatives make this connection, between the compensation paid to those at the bottom of the ladder and those who speak for them at the top of it.
The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act are two important steps needed to make sure women are paid fairly in the workplace. These proposals will help to make equal pay for equal work real, not just in theory, but in practice. Your YES vote on these proposals will show your commitment to fairness and to American families.
Thank you.