USW Calls for Paycheck Fairness

For Immediate Release: May 30, 2012
Contact: R.J. Hufnagel, 412-562-2450, rhufnagel@usw.org

USW Calls for Paycheck Fairness
Mitt Romney as Republican Presidential Nominee Should End Silence

(Pittsburgh)– The United Steelworkers (USW) today called on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to end his silence on the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate that would provide greater protection to women who suffer because of sex-based pay discrimination.

“In this environment, when more hard-working women are the sole wage-earners for their families, it is particularly vital that we provide them with every tool to fight discrimination by their employers,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “Throughout this primary season, we have seen Republican candidates take aim at women’s rights. It is time for Mitt Romney to end his party’s despicable war on women and support this bill.”
Romney has not responded to repeated media inquiries seeking his position on the bill, which the Senate is scheduled to consider next week.

In contrast, President Obama has voiced consistent support for paycheck fairness. In 2009, the new president made the Lilly Ledbetter Act the first bill he signed into law. That law expanded the rights of women to sue employers for back pay and legal costs in pay discrimination cases. The law now under consideration would expand those rights, allowing compensatory or punitive damages.

Corporations, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, oppose the bill, arguing it would spawn frivolous lawsuits.

Carol Landry, USW International Vice President at Large, said: “Quite simply, women deserve the same pay as men for the same work. Even when accounting for variables like experience, hours and education, women still only make about 80 cents for every dollar earned by me.”

She added, “This would help put a stop to such discrimination.”

The USW represents about 850,000 working men and women in the United States and Canada in a wide variety of industries, ranging from glass making to mining, paper, steel, tire and rubber and other manufacturing environments, to the public sector, service and health care industries.

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Outrageous, Women of Steel E-News May 1, 2012

United Steelworkers, Women of Steel Honoring our past, protecting our future, Women of Steel Vote

Out·ra· geous  (out-rā’ jәs) adj. Exceeding the bounds of what is right and proper. (Webster’s New Riverside Dictionary). 

This word aptly describes the Republican’s war on women over the past two years. This group is trying to destroy the middle-class and anything that supports this hard-working group of people.  They want to take us back to a time where women have no control of their bodies and minds, and have created an illusion of mass voter fraud to make it difficult - if not impossible - for many to vote, just to name a few.  We say:  ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Welcome to Outrageous, a weekly update to keep you informed of the latest maniacal offerings from extremists, who have taken over the Republican Party, with links to information so you can understand what is really behind their madness.  Please use the material to start a dialogue with your union brothers and sisters, co-workers, family and friends. We all need to be well informed of their tactics during this most vital fight to save many of the rights of women and the middle class.

For those of you who have people in your life who believe there is no Republican war on women, have them consider:

  

Women Compared to Livestock As Georgia House Passes Abortion Bill 
State Rep. Terry England  (R-Auburn) compared women carrying stillborn fetuses to livestock on his farm during a rough and tumble 14-hour workday on the House floor.  Complete article at ... more  

916 Anti-Women Bills Introduced By the GOP Since March 2011
The GOP would have you believe there’s no war on women after they started the war on women. The first opportunity they had to deflect attention away was when Hilary Rosen, off the top of her head, made the comment that Ann Romney never worked a day in her life. We all know what she meant but it gave the right ammunition to turn it into the war on moms. Just so we’re clear, there is no war on moms. That’s just plain malarkey and everyone, including Republicans know it. The Guttmacher Group compiled fascinating … more

Arizona Birth Control Bill Allows Employers to Fire Women based on Religious Beliefs
Legislation banning birth control has been advanced in Arizona which would allow employers to fire women who take the pill to prevent pregnancy, rather than for health purposes, based on religious and moral beliefs.. . more 

While Being Beaten, Just Remember the Things You Love About Your Husband
A Republican Wisconsin State Representative suggests an alternative to divorce from an abusive mate: Daydream about the good times while he’s beating you up . . . more 

“You Just Have to Close Your Eyes”Republican Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett suggest that women just close their eyes when mandatorily presented with ultrasound images of her unborn child and the description of the fetal heartbeat before she can have an abortion. . . . more 

Mitt Romney: Mothers Should Be Required To Work Outside Home Or Lose Benefits
Poor women who stay at home to raise their children should be given federal assistance for child care so that they can enter the job market and "have the dignity of work," Mitt Romney said in January, undercutting the sense of extreme umbrage he showed when Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen quipped last week that Ann Romney had not "worked a day in her life." The remark, made to a Manchester, N.H., audience, was unearthed by MSNBC's "Up w/Chris Hayes," and aired during the 8 a.m. hour of his show Sunday. Ann Romney … more

Gender Gap Persists in Cost of Health Insurance

WASHINGTON — Women still pay more than men for the same health insurance coverage, according to new research and data from online brokers. The new health care law will prohibit such “gender rating,” starting in 2014. But gaps persist in most states, with no evidence that insurers have taken steps to reduce them.

For a popular Blue Cross Blue Shield plan in Chicago, a 30-year-old woman pays $375 a month, which is 31 percent more than what a man of the same age pays for the same coverage, according toeHealthInsurance.com, a leading online source of health insurance… more  

My Health is NOT Up for Debate: Wheel
Do you think our nation's leaders would allow a hospital to refuse to perform an emergency abortion on a woman -- even if it means she would die? … more

Wisconsin State Senator Says Women Are Paid Less Because ‘Money Is More Important For Men’ Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) quietly repealed his state’s equal pay law last week, a decision that will make it harder for victims of wage discrimination to sue for lost earnings and back wages. The law was enacted primarily to address the massive pay gap that exists between male and female workers, which is even bigger in Wisconsin than in other states. Repealing the law was a no-brainer for state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R), who led the effort because of his belief that pay discrimination is a myth driven by liberal women’s groups … more

Female Republican Senators Undermine GOP Claim That War on Women Is ‘Fiction’

Over the last month, conservative men such as Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Reince Preibus, and several others have called the Republican war on women a mere fiction invented by Democrats to attack them with in the media. Instead Republicans have spun their war on women as a fight for religious freedom, which just happens to attack the reproductive rights of women. Well, that may convince male Republicans, but female Republicans are not buying it. In fact, Republican women are undermining the claims made by their male counterparts. . . more