Tuesday, April 8 is recognized nationally as Equal Pay Day – the symbolic day in 2014 when women’s salaries catch up to men’s earnings from 2013. That’s right – it takes women an extra three months to earn what men earned in all of 2013! The wage gap remains largely stagnant, and discrimination in the workplace remains.
But there is something we can do about it. We must educate the public – and more importantly, let our legislators know that we are demanding action!
That’s why we have designated the week of April 7 as an Equal Pay Week of Action.
Friday, April 4 – Submit your Letter to the Editor (LTE)
If you have not submitted an LTE already, use this link to customize an LTE for your local newspaper:
http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/50796/c/25/letter/?letter_KEY=1424
Monday, April 7 – Start Tweeting about Equal Pay Day
Follow these hashtags: #NoMadMenPay, #EqualPay, #UpgradeNY
Follow these handles: @AAUWNY, @AAUWPolicy, @NY4Women
Use these sample tweets:
No #EqualPay? How about a $10K discount on my new car, and 23% off my car insurance. http://bit.ly/1i2dang
Un-equal pay is not okay. #UpgradeNY laws. Pass Women’s Equality Act @NY4Women
http://bit.ly/1dVCmcH #NoMadMenPay
Tell your Senators: NY Women’s Equality Act would help more women of color move into the middle class: http://bit.ly/1aCNKXS #NoMadMenPay
Tuesday, April 8 – Equal Pay Day
Call your state senators and urge them to pass equal pay legislation. This is our “virtual lobby day.” Take 5 minutes during the day to tell your senator how important pay equity is to you and your family. Click on the link above to be directed to the call message.
Then attend one of the 30+ Equal Pay Day events taking place around New York State.
Tweet and post your Equal Pay Day photos and proclamations in real-time! Tweet to @AAUWNY and post on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/AAUW.NYS). Let’s share our successes as broadly as possible!
Wear red because thanks to the wage gap, women are still in the red financially!
Wednesday, April 9 – Keep Sharing!
Keep tweeting about the need for equal pay legislation at the state and federal level
Post your Equal Pay Day event photos on Facebook and Twitter
Share your published LTEs on social media, with your branch and state, friends and family, and with AAUW national staff via the report-back form.
What did your state senators say about equal pay when you called? Share the details with Kim Pollard, AAUW-NYS State Organizer (pollardk@aauw.org).
Thursday, April 10, and Friday, April 11 – Say Thank You!
If your local lawmaker signed an Equal Pay Day proclamation or participated in an event, write her/him a letter of thanks, and consider submitting your thanks as an LTE.
Thank your Twitter and Facebook followers for helping to spread your message.
More info: http://www.aauw-nys.org/pp_equal_pay_day.htm