Advocacy
Advocacy is a huge part of our work as indicated in our mission. We are not political in terms of endorsing specific candidates, however, we are definitely involved in policy making. In fact, we have been able to work with both Republicans and Democrats on various issues. This enabled us to help pass the Violence Against Women Act a few years ago.
AAUW Washington State has a lobbyist in Olympia, Nancy Sapiro, and has worked hard this year, with our on-line Lobby Day as well as testifying, and advocating for a number of bills. See the legislative update. Many of them were passed this year, but there’s always more to do.
Equal Pay Day this year was on March 24th. This day means that the average women must work 365 days plus another 83 days to earn as much as the average man earns in 365 days. For women of color it can be way more than 83 extra days. In the past 25 years, the pay gap has only improved by about 8%. At this rate, it’s beyond 2070-2110 before parity exists. We want better for everyone.
Check out AAUW’s annual study The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap.
AAUW has a lobbyist in Washington DC and we are working on a number of bills. One is the Paycheck Fairness Act. It passed in the House, we are deeply dismayed that this important piece of legislation failed on a procedural vote in the U.S. Senate. We vow to keep up the fight for equity. We’ve been working on an update to the 1963 Equal Pay Act since the 1990s and will continue to persevere to get the updates passed. They are incredibly important for achieving pay equity for all. Here’s the main points:
- Paycheck Transparency. We want ranges for salary categories that are publicly known and followed. If you’re doing the same job you should get the same pay range. AND we don’t want an employer to be able to retaliate against an employee who is trying to find out this information.
- Get Paid for What You’re Worth. We don’t want a person’s prior salary to determine what their salary in a new job will be. We don’t want that information collected. This means that if you change jobs, you will get a salary that is fair for the job no matter what you were paid in your last position. This is important for EVERYONE because if you’ve been paid less for gender or race or any other reason in the past, you should not have to carry that burden along with you for the rest of your working life. You should be able to jump to your actual fair pay.
- Details on these and other Important Pay Check Fairness Act Features
As an organization with decades of history, we have worked long and hard for pay equity starting in the Wilson Administration. We worked hard for the 1963 Equal Pay Act. At the signing of this bill, many AAUW members were present.
AAUW members Minnie Miles (front row, fourth from right) and Reps. Edith Green (left of president, in white suit), Martha Griffiths (second from right), and Julia Hansen (far right) with President John F. Kennedy as he signs the Equal Pay Act into law on June 10, 1963. Credit: Abbie Rowe, White House Photographs. Courtesy of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston Delighted to change out this old picture just as soon as the Pay Check Fairness bill is passed.
Sign up for the Two Minute Activist Get top of the moment information on congressional bills effecting women so you can take specific action and help move this advocacy forward.
Legal Advocacy Fund https://www.aauw.org/resources/legal/laf/