Take Action on Federal Paycheck Fairness

This action alert came from the MT Women's Lobby:

Please contact Senator Baucus and Senator Tester and ask them to co-sponsor and support the federal Paycheck Fairness Act (S.182). The House of Representatives has passed this legislation. Please take a moment to call or email our Montana's Senators. Scroll down for contact info.

TALKING POINTS:
* As your constituent, I strongly urge you to cosponsor and support the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182). Passage of the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was a critical first step, but we also need the Paycheck Fairness Act to achieve pay equity.
* The Paycheck Fairness Act is a comprehensive bill that would create stronger incentives for employers to follow the law, empower women to negotiate for equal pay, strengthen federal outreach, education and enforcement efforts, strengthen penalties for equal pay violations, and prohibit retaliation against workers who ask about employers' wage practices or disclose their own wages. Together with the Ledbetter bill, this critical piece of legislation can help to create a climate where wage discrimination is not tolerated, and give the administration the enforcement tools it needs to make real progress on pay equity.
· Women in Montana earn an average of 70 cents for every dollar a man earns. American Indian women earn 58 cents. While we have come a long way since the Equal Pay Act was signed into law in 1964, pay discrimination is still prevalent. The Paycheck Fairness Act is a much needed update of the 45-year-old law, closing loopholes and creating deterrents to pay discrimination.
· Due to rising unemployment rates, an unprecedented number of women are now the family breadwinner - making pay equity even more critical, not simply to family economic security but also to the nation's economic recovery.
· With a record 71 million women in the workforce, wage discrimination hurts the majority of American families, both in terms of their economic security today and their retirement security tomorrow.

How to Contact Senators Baucus and Tester:
Senator Jon Tester (202) 224-2644 http://tester.senate.gov/ Helena Office: 449-5401
Senator Max Baucus (202) 224-2651 http://baucus.senate.gov/ Billings Office: 657-6790