Paycheck Fairness Act Introduced
On January 30, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act(PFA) with support from every Democrat in Congress and bipartisan backing in the House. “The PFA is essential to eradicating practices that have perpetuated the pay gap for far too long,” says AAUW CEO Kim Churches.
The team at AAUW was instrumental in prioritizing the bill by sending letters to Congress and engaging grassroots advocates, garnering 260 organizations in support. They also presented on the PFA to new members of Congress and spoke at the press conference introducing the bill.
The PFA would update the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and complement the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which ensures pay discrimination can be challenged regardless of when it began. We were thrilled to bring Ledbetter to Washington, D.C., where she met with more than a dozen members of Congress. The PFA is now designated as H.R. 7, signaling it is a top 10 priority of the House. Urge your senators and representatives to vote “yes.”
AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund
Jane Doe, et al v. Howard University is a case involving six current and former Howard University female students (Jane Does) who reported sexual assaults in 2014, 2015, and 2016. They allege that these assaults were committed by male employees and students at the university. The Jane Does maintain that Howard University acted with deliberate indifference to their complaints of sexual assault when the school failed to respond to their requests for information about their cases, and their pleas for support, remedial measures, and academic accommodations. They also claim that Howard violated Title IX by failing to promptly investigate their complaints of sexual assault, ignoring the university’s own policy prohibiting sex discrimination, and instead took actions which made them vulnerable to further harassment or assault. LAF has thrown its support behind the plaintiffs.
PA Equal Pay Day Rally
The annual Equal Pay Day Rally in Harrisburg has been scheduled for Monday, April 8 at 2pm at the State Capitol Rotunda. Download the flyer.
AAUW-PA Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting is Saturday, April 6, 2019, from 10:30 am to 11:00 am at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey, 4751 Lindle Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111. This is a change of time from previous announcements. The agenda consists of the election of officers. As this Annual Meeting is occurring in a non-state convention year, no bylaw changes or resolutions will be considered. All members are welcome to attend.