R: Realistic & Fair Wages

Cross-posted at MotherTalkers.com.

Traveling across the country this summer, I have come across people who say they will not vote for Sen. Barack Obama for all kinds of bizarre reasons, including the false premise that he is a Muslim.

I regret to inform you that you're a victim of your own success: As a result of mothers across the country expressing their outrage at wage discrimination, we have not one, but two (yes, two!) major pieces of legislation moving in Congress to protect women and people of color from discrimination in the workplace.

Several weeks ago, the Senate failed to pass the Fair Pay Act, a piece of legislation that would have the power to decrease the wage gap in the U.S. between men and women. Senator John McCain failed to show up for the vote.

We triumphed with the resume deliveries to Senator McCain today! There were FOUR tv cameras! CBS, CNN, WTTG (local Fox news) and Telemundo. Plus a wire service and I think an AP camera (it was a little crazy). And the AFL-CIO is going to post on their blog and include a photo.

This morning, MomsRising moms were in action in Washington, D.C.

These brave MOMs -- wearing sashes saying "Magnificently Overqualified Mother" -- just delivered nearly 9,000 resumes to Senator John McCain in support of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act [1].

Laws are nice, but they don't always work. The Fair Pay Act is a prime example.

In 1963, Congress passed the Fair Pay Act, a gesture seemingly ahead of its time. From that moment forward, women and men would get paid the same for equal work.

Today, 45 years later, I'm still waiting.

Equal Pay Day, a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages, will take place this week. As many of you already know, this year, each of us has a unique opportunity to take action and a make a meaningful difference in the fight for fair pay.

Time magazine recently dedicated a cover to education. Despite my time helping start a Spanish immersion school and writing about education, I found so much of it eye-opening, starting with the controversy around merit pay for teachers.

Written by Nanette Fondas and Katie Bethell

A stay-at-home mother doesn't get a paycheck, so she might wonder if the Fair Pay Restoration Act impacts her life. At first glance it appears not, but a closer look shows that it does affect her and that all moms -- regardless of their stay-at-home or working mother status -- would be wise to support it.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a major step forward for equality in our country. It leveled the playing field for tens of thousands of workers and opened the door to new opportunities. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s Ledbetter decision has become a road block to the workplace equality that Congress intended to achieve with the Civil Rights Act more than 40 years ago.