When I was a kid I wore a lot of buttons (still do).  Anti-war buttons, campaign buttons, farmworker / boycott buttons, ERA buttons, I read banned books buttons, question authority buttons, anti-nuclear power buttons... you name it I had it in my collection and I wore them with pride.  One of my buttons was Kelly green with white lettering and it said simply "59c".  That's how much a woman made for every dollar earned by a man in our society.  Fifty-nine cents.  Now that was back in the early or mid-70s and we've made some progress since then.  We've come a long way baby but we still have a long way to go.  That's where Hillary's new initiative comes into the picture.

Hillary and her campaign launched a new effort today to correct a mighty wrong and draw attention to the need to close the wage gap in this country.  Some of you may remember a bill she introduced on the heels of that atrocious Supreme Court decision regarding a woman who sued for back pay after learning that her male colleagues made significantly more money than she did.  The Supremes, in their infinite ignorance told her to take a hike so Hillary jumped into action and put together a bill to correct that injustice.  And she's still at it - fighting to level the playing field for half the people who labor in our nation's workforce.  Take a look at the press release they put out today regarding this latest effort...

Clinton Campaign Launches "Make Change Count"

Campaign "Wage Gap Calculator" Allows Women to Measure the Impact of Pay Equity

Today, the Clinton campaign launched a week-long effort, "Make Change Count," to educate voters on the wage gap and Hillary Clinton's leadership in addressing pay equity.  Voters can calculate their wage gap on the "Make Change Count" calculator, access a "toolkit" to educate others, and read daily blog posts from prominent national leaders beginning with Rep. Hilda Solis (CA) today (www.hillaryclinton.com/women).  Reports show that gaps in wages between women and men persist 45 years since the Equal Pay Act was signed, which was meant to eliminate such disparities.  The campaign's focus on pay equity will continue through Equal Pay Day on April 22nd.      

"The Equal Pay Act was an important step forward for women," said Senator Clinton.  "It gave women a real chance to be full, equal participants in the workforce and to earn equal pay for equal work. Women have shattered so many barriers in the 45 years since the Equal Pay Act was enacted. But we still have work to do to truly level the playing field."

"That means making sure that employers treat men and women equally in the workplace.  It also means giving women the tools they need to acquire the pay and recognition they deserve," she added.  "I encourage women and men to use the `Make Change Count' calculator to see how the wage gap is robbing women and their families of their rightfully earned income."

Throughout the week leading up to Equal Pay Day on April 22, the Clinton Campaign will be hosting events across the country and featuring blog posts by prominent national leaders on the wage gap at www.hillaryclinton.com/women.  Today in North Carolina, National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy, Reverend Marcia Dyson, Hillary's longtime friend Betsy Ebeling, and leader Irene Natividad will join women across North Carolina in a statewide "Women's Day of Action." Women leaders will be attending and holding events in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, and Oregon throughout the week.

Even as women continue to make progress in the workplace, they still earn only .77 cents for every dollar men earn, and the gap is even worse for women of color.  Hispanic women earn .57 cents and African American women only .68 cents.  The wage gap affects women and their entire families every day: for every $100 a woman earns, she has $23 less to spend on groceries, housing, child care and other expenses.

Hillary has spent [her] entire career fighting for women and families. She knows it is in the best interests of men and women to fight for, and finally achieve, equal wages for equal work. That's why she has led the charge in the Senate to strengthen equal pay laws and end pay disparities between men and women.  Hillary introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act to strengthen enforcement of the equal pay laws and ensure that the federal government sets a higher standard.

She has also sponsored the Fair Pay Restoration Act to guarantee that workers like Lilly Ledbetter will have appropriate and timely recourses to wage discrimination so that they receive the fair pay they deserve.  In May 2007, the Supreme Court ruled against Lilly Ledbetter who was paid significantly less than her male coworkers for twenty years, finding that victims of pay discrimination must file a charge within 180 days, even though many will not know how much their colleagues are being paid for much longer.  Hillary immediately took action in developing the Fair Pay Restoration Act with her colleagues in the Senate.

Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA) posted the first in a series of blog entries on Hillary's new webpage (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/women) today, in which she lists some pretty startling statistics.  Take a look...

Every year, we commemorate Equal Pay Day on a Tuesday in April to symbolize how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to catch up to what their male counterpart earned in the previous calendar year. The day itself is also symbolic, chosen because it is the day women's wages catch up to men's earnings from the previous week. In 2007, white women earned 77 cents for every dollar a white man makes. For women of color, the wage disparity is even worse; African American women earned 68 cents and Latinas earned 57 cents. The Census Bureau estimates that the average Latina woman working full-time earns almost $18,000 less than a man in one year. Over a 30-year career, this discrepancy adds up to $510,000. I have seen how this disparity affects families in my district and as a Latina who grew up in Los Angeles County, I know first hand that equal pay isn't just a woman's issue; it affects whole families and communities
 across the country.

Hillary Clinton has been a champion for working women throughout her career in public service and understands the huge impact the wage gap has on American families. With a struggling national economy and a middle class that is feeling the squeeze, she knows that this is a problem that needs direct and aggressive action. She introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act in the Senate to eliminate the pay gap between men and women. This legislation would take important steps to empower women to negotiate for equal pay, to create strong incentives for employers to follow the law, and to strengthen federal outreach and enforcement efforts. I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation and a proud supporter of Hillary Clinton because she works incredibly hard for equal rights for working women and families. I know that as president, Hillary will fight for each person to truly live the American Dream of equality and opportunity and I will continue to do everything I can
 to help her shatter that ultimate glass ceiling.

Ya know in reading through that press release, the blog post and that bill of Hillary's I'm reminded of something Hillary said in an interview recently - that women are often the head of single-parent households.  So by paying them less than the going rate you're not only robbing them of equal compensation - but you're taking food out of the mouths of their children as well.  This is important stuff you guys.  When you make it possible for women to earn a fair day's wage for her labor you not only raise her boat, but that of her family as well.  Whether she's the head of the household or one of the breadwinners - fair wages is just a basic tenet of what Democrats stand for in this country.

Ok so here's the "ACTION" bit to this write-up gang...

Senate Bill 841 (S. 841) - the Fair Pay Restoration Act was introduced in the Senate by Hillary on April 19, 2005, and currently has 18 co-sponsors. One of my Senators, Barbara Mikulski has co-sponsored but Ben Cardin is going to hear from me (repeatedly if need-be) about co-sponsoring this one.  

(And hey if you live in Illinois could you ask Sen. Obama to co-sponsor this one?)

Senate Bill 766 (S. 766) - the Paycheck Fairness Act was introduced in the Senate by Hillary on March 6, 2007 and currently has 22 co-sponsors. True to form, Barbara Mikulski's a co-sponsor (I love that woman!) but - sadly, Ben Cardin has yet to be heard on this one.  Well actually he's being heard loud and clear by his failure to sign on to these important bills.  So he's going to be hearing from me on this as well.

No excuses gang - every - single - Democrat needs to sign on to these bills.  Check those above links and if your Senators aren't listed then hit the phones and start bugging them.  The toll-free number for the US Capitol Switchboard is 1-800-828-0498 (or 202-224-3121) - write this number down and use it every day until you get the right answer out of your Senators.  Seriously, how anyone could stand against equal pay for everyone is beyond me.  

Now there's one more thing you can do to help insure a level playing field when it comes to our pay packets folks, and I think you know where I'm headed with this.  Help elect the woman who's been fighting to get the job done in the Senate re pay equity for the past 3 years, and fighting for women and kids for the past 35 years.  You say you care about equal pay for women?  Great - then put your money where your heart is and pony up! Help put Hillary into the Oval Office where she can push for these bills - I mean really fight to make equal pay a reality for millions of us all around this country.

Women only earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns in this nation.  So in honor of Equal Pay Day I want each and every one of you to send Hillary some love - right now - to celebrate the launch of this new initiative.  Large or small - whatever you can afford it doesn't matter - as long as you add an extra .77 to your donation. Send her $5.77, $25.77, $50.77, $100.77 or $250.77 - more if you can swing it.  But let her know you're donating because you care about closing that wage gap.  Tell the world that you want to see the women in your life paid the same wages as men, and that you know she's the one person who can make sure that gap gets closed.

So!  What are you waiting for...

DONATE NOW!

There's an old saying... Women hold up half the sky. Well ya know what?  It's time we earned an even share for our labors.  Forty-five years is too damn long to wait for pay equity.  And seventy-seven cents just won't cut it any more.  

Help put Hillary in the White House and we WILL close that wage gap.  

Thanks gang!