Debra Ness, President

Today is Women’s Equality Day, when we celebrate the fact that, 90 years ago, a group of dedicated women and men made history when the 19th Amendment passed, guaranteeing a woman’s right to vote.

We celebrate their legacy by continuing the fight for women’s equality – and we need your help. Add your voice to our latest campaign for equal pay for equal work:  We are gathering signatures for a special petition calling on Senators to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Looking back, it is hard to believe how hard the fight for women’s suffrage was. Those who opposed women voting — like President Grover Cleveland, who observed that “sensible and responsible women do not want to vote”– were out of step with the march of time.  We can only hope that 90 years from now, we feel the same way about those who are standing in the way of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would help women exercise their rights to equal pay on the job.

The sad truth is, women working full time are still paid only 77 cents to a man’s dollar.  For African American and Hispanic women the numbers are even worse: 62 cents and 52 cents, respectively, for every dollar paid to a full time working white man.  This is tough news for American households, because in six out of ten families, women are the primary or co-breadwinner. Every time a woman is shortchanged, the whole family suffers, particularly in today’s economy.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would help to close that wage gap. The House has already passed the bill, and it has the full support from the White House.  But the Senate hasn’t voted yet.  It’s time to change that.  The Paycheck Fairness Act would help women get equal pay for equal work by:

• making it harder for employers to hide pay discrimination;
• helping train women and girls about salary negotiations;
• supporting government collection of critical wage data; and
• rewarding employers that have good pay practices.

It’s time to remind Senators how important women’s earning are, and that we’re counting on them to help us continue the progress.

So today, in honor of the suffragists who gave us a voice, let’s speak out and be heard!

Tell your Senators that you expect them to get on the right side of history and vote for the Paycheck Fairness Act.

And if you need to brush up on your 19^th Amendment history, click here for the School House Rock version.

Laura Hessburg

On average, women spend at least 30 years being sexually active but trying to avoid pregnancy. That’s an awfully long time considering no contraceptive is 100% effective and things don’t always work out as planned.

That’s why we’re thrilled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new emergency contraceptive product that will be known as ella.  When trying to avoid unintended pregnancy, having another type of safe and effective emergency contraception will increase the likelihood that a woman can quickly access a product that works well for her situation.

Ella is an FDA-approved contraceptive– not, as some contraception opponents claim, an abortion pill – and it is highly effective at preventing pregnancy for up to five days after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. It works by inhibiting or delaying ovulation.

The FDA’s decision to approve ella was based entirely on scientific evidence, and we think it’s terrific that politics didn’t get in the way of science. Perhaps there is hope that the FDA will have the integrity to remove the baseless and harmful age restrictions currently imposed on the over-the-counter emergency contraceptives:  Plan B One-Step and Next Choice. We encourage them to do so without delay.

Contraceptive use has been the driving force in reducing unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. It also improves overall health by enabling women to plan and space their pregnancies, contributing to dramatic declines in maternal and infant mortality.  Bottom line: birth control is basic health care. The FDA’s approval of ella is a great step forward, but now we need to ensure that regardless of which contraceptive a woman needs, she can access it safely and quickly.

Debra Ness, President

I am thrilled that the Senate has confirmed Elena Kagan to serve on the Supreme Court. This is an important milestone in our journey toward equal rights for women – and our nation will be stronger as a result.

Elena Kagan will be a superb justice. Her presence on our highest court will maintain and strengthen our nation’s commitment to equal justice and privacy, and to fairness for women, people of color, workers, seniors and every person who may face discrimination.

When she is sworn in, for the first time in history, three women will serve together on our highest court. This confirmation brings us closer to the day when it is no longer surprising to see a woman on the Supreme Court or in other positions of power.

I want to thank every Senator who voted to confirm Elena Kagan, and President Obama for appointing her. This is a historic moment for our nation.

Rachna Choudhry

In my job, I get  to explain the entire narrative of paid sick days to our nation’s lawmakers and their staff. It’s a rather simple task because most people intuitively get it—and often they have an experience to share.

The other day, as I walked into one of the House of Representatives office buildings, I chatted briefly with a Capitol police officer, whom I see whenever I am running in for meetings.  After we exchanged hellos, he asked me what issue I was working on.  I told him that I was working to help establish a basic standard of paid sick days so that working people aren’t forced to choose between caring for their health or their children’s health, and losing a paycheck or even their jobs.

He nodded and advised me to tell Members of Congress about a mother he met a few years earlier.  She was there to talk to Members of Congress about her son, who had died from an untreated dental abscess—a death that could have easily been prevented if the boy had access to health care and his mother had time off from work to get him the care he needed.

I’m always so touched when people share their personal stories and insights with me.  And, speaking for the hundreds of other advocates who work on this issue, we carry these stories with us.  They don’t just inform our messaging—they are the message. The reality is that nearly two in five private-sector workers (39 percent) don’t have a single paid sick day to recover from common, short-term illnesses.

In other words, for more than 40 million of us, waking up with a fever and sore throat or needing to throw up will lead to anxiety not only about our health but about our financial security. Should I go to work even though I’m sick because I need a paycheck and cannot afford to lose my job?

Without a basic workplace standard of paid sick days, two in five of us are face a terrible choice: do we respect the public’s health by staying home when sick and lose pay and risk our jobs, ordo we go to work sick so we can pay the bills and keep food on the table but risk spreading a contagious illness to others.  Swift Congressional action to pass the Healthy Families Act, which allows workers to earn up to seven paid sick days a year, would eliminate this forced choice.

This Congress has made progress on the Healthy Families Act.  Both the House and the Senate have held numerous hearings on the issue, and we have more cosponsors on the bill than ever.

But we’re not there yet. Working people want to be responsible employees and family members. They want to be conscientious community members.  The Healthy Families Act would allow workers to be all of the above. The legislation would establish a minimum labor standard that guarantees workers the ability to earn paid, job-protected time off for at least seven days a year to recover from illness or to care for a sick family member. It would ensure that working families don’t risk their financial security to do what is right for their own health and the well-being of their workplaces, schools and communities. And, it would protect the public health by allowing ill people to stay home to recover and avoid spreading illness.

Yet, there is more to be done. As we approach another flu season, as our nation’s children go back to school and as our caregiving responsibilities for older relatives expand, one thing is certain: working people need the economic security and job stability provided by a basic workplace standard of paid sick days, especially as millions continue their paycheck-to-paycheck struggles in this fractured economy.

There isn’t much time left before Congress adjourns.  We need to make sure that Members hear more stories and insights on the need for paid sick days. More than 150 women’s, workers’ and health organizations are working together to support the Healthy Families Act.  We need your help too.  Please visit www.paidsickdays.org to learn more.

Portia Wu, Vice President

Owning your own home has long been a central part of the American Dream.  It’s as American as baseball, apple pie and mom.  But according to this column in the New York Times, a lot of moms and moms-to-be are getting short shrift.

On top of their other worries, expectant mothers and women on maternity leave may face another hurdle: Being turned down for mortgages. Some lenders appear to be basing their denials on the retro belief that new moms just don’t go back to work.

It’s against the law to use gender-based stereotypes to make mortgage decisions. And, guess what else?  Their assumptions are wrong!  Here are the facts:

•    In 6 out of 10 families, the woman is the primary breadwinner or a significant breadwinner. Because of the recession, hundreds of thousands more families with young children rely entirely on women’s wages because only mom is working. Women work—and women go back to work—because their families need their income to survive.
• Even before the recession, four in five employed first-time moms were back at work within a year of having a child, and the majority went back within three months.   Learn more.

Here’s some good news: The Obama Administration has announced that it will investigate lenders who may be breaking the law and disqualifying women because they are pregnant or on leave. We’re glad that this Administration has jumped on the problem, and hope these investigations are only one part of its response. It seems some lenders, and others who set the standards, need some serious education so they stop penalizing pregnant women and new families!

Not only that, but we think a comprehensive effort to combat discrimination against pregnant women and new moms is long overdue.  Because while this news about mortgages is shocking, many of us just aren’t that surprised.  After all, claims of pregnancy discrimination in the workplace have been skyrocketing for years now.

New  moms get lots of advice about what to eat and what not to drink, and how to decorate the nursery and get ready for the baby.  Maybe it’s time we share some advice with employers, bankers, lenders and other institutions about how to treat pregnant women and new moms fairly!

Have you, or has someone you know, experienced problems getting a mortgage because of pregnancy or the birth of a child? Have you experienced other forms of pregnancy discrimination, at work or at school? Tell us your story, so we can share it with the Administration.

Or learn more about your rights under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the laws that protect women from unfair loans and credit decisions.

Portia Wu, Vice President

Today the Obama Administration issued a rousing call to action on two of the most important priorities for working women and families — equal pay for equal work, and strong work-family policies. 

The National Partnership has been championing these causes for decades — and so have you!  Today’s event showed that this Administration is squarely in our corner.

It was thrilling to be at this morning’s Middle Class Task Force event. Announcements by one leader after another demonstrated that equal pay and work-family policies are high priorities for this Administration. 

The President’s Equal Pay Task Force is leading the way in ensuring our government steps up enforcement of — and education about — equal pay laws.

Vice President Biden called on the Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, saying bluntly: “I say to all those, those few Democrats and all those Republicans who at least thus far have said no, or said nothing: This is your chance, and I mean this sincerely, to get on the right side of history…Step up, man. Step up and change the law.”

Lilly Ledbetter & Portia Wu at the Middle Class Task Force Event

Lilly Ledbetter stole the show. She was a victim of egregious wage discrimination who fought tirelessly — and successfully — to convince Congress to restore civil rights after an appalling Supreme Court decision… but she didn’t stop there. Now Lilly is campaigning to make our equal pay laws stronger. She told the audience in plain English how wage discrimination hurts families every day by keeping them from buying clothes, putting food on the table, and paying for their children’s education. It hurts women by shortchanging them while they’re working and during their retirement.

I hope Members of Congress heard her message to strengthen our equal pay laws. To be sure that they hear from you too, tell your Senators to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.

This morning’s event also featured Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announcing a new, much-needed survey on access to and use of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) — something the National Partnership has fought hard for.  She highlighted the Department’s new guidance on FMLA leave.

The Administration is also building on the White House’s March 2010 workplace flexibility forum to hold events over the next year on workplace flexibility and released a new toolkit to help community groups hold their own workplace flexibility events.

Stay tuned. We’ll keep you posted so you can be part of this important national conversation. In the meantime, learn more about the White House’s Work-Flex Starter Kit and to register an event.

Portia Wu, Vice President

They’ll be talking about you and me, when Vice President Biden hosts an event focusing on some of the issues that matter most to women’s economic security: equal pay and work-family policies.

These issues have long been a top priority for working women, and now we finally have an Administration that’s making them a priority, too.

The National Partnership will be there to hear first-hand about the work of the President’s Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, which is defending our right to fair pay. We’ll learn about the Administration’s new plan for a nationwide conversation to improve work-family balance for all Americans – and we’ll share that information with you.

With more women in the workforce than ever, our caregiving responsibilities growing, and families relying on women’s wages more than ever, it’s about time.

We’ll report back on this blog after the event. To join it virtually, tune in today at 10:45 a.m. to http://www.whitehouse.gov/live.

Christine Bechtel

We’ve said it before and you know it’s true: health information technology is for better health outcomes, not just better technology. And the new regulations released by the Obama administration show that they get it.

I was thrilled to watch HHS Secretary Sebelius, who recently spoke at the National Partnership’s annual luncheon, make the announcement this morning at HHS. These new regulations will mean that those health providers who take federal health IT dollars will be held accountable for improving the care you receive – by using health IT in a meaningful way.

An end is finally in sight for the days when doctors have to sift through incomplete and incomprehensible hand-written medical records – when patients must tote test results from doctor to doctor – and when family caregivers spend endless time trying to coordinate medications and treatments for those who can’t do so for themselves.

And we say ‘good riddance.’ The regulations are strong, sensible, patient-centered – and just what the nation needs as we reform our health care system.

But let’s be clear: our work on the meaningful use of health IT isn’t done. As we move forward, we need to make sure the regulations are strengthened so providers who violate privacy laws are ineligible for federal IT dollars, and so providers are required to give all patients timely access to their health information.

So, for today, let’s celebrate. Today’s action helps put in place the foundation for a health care system that works for patients and families – and we will all benefit as private and secure electronic health records become the norm in the United States. And tomorrow, we forge ahead. Stay tuned….

Debra Ness, President

Today, President Obama appointed Dr. Donald Berwick to serve as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). I truly believe that Dr. Berwick is the best man for the job – he is a highly qualified candidate with extraordinary skill, vast experience and a deep dedication to improving America’s health care system.

However, he has been the victim of ugly and baseless attacks by opponents of health reform who wanted to undermine his nomination.

Just last week , the Campaign for Better Care organized some 90 of the nation’s top consumer, purchaser and provider groups to issue a strong defense of Berwick. Despite that strong, broad-based support, opponents have continued to misrepresent his work and distort his positions.

A recess appointment should not have been necessary but, given the circumstances, it was. The White House was right to appoint a man who is, quite simply, one of the nation’s leading experts on our health care system. He is sure to be a dedicated and effective public servant who works tirelessly to improve care for vulnerable older adults and others with multiple health problems.

It is past time to put politics aside. We should all unite behind Dr. Berwick and work together to ensure that we realize the promise of reform and make quality, coordinated care available to all.

Kirsten Sloan, Vice President

For many American families, women are the ones who gather information, compare plans, and make the decision about which plan best suits their needs and budget. Today, your job got a little easier.

In a first step of implementing the new health care reform law, the Obama administration launched a new website that gives women access to critical, unbiased information about their private and public insurance coverage options – so women can feel confident they are choosing the best plan for themselves and their families.

We recommend you take a look: http://www.healthcare.gov.