BETHLEHEM (PA) BRANCH
Public Policy
I WILL BE HEARD – VOTER EDUCATION AND ELECTIONS NEWS
Compiled by Bernie Gardiner
AAUW believes that the women’s vote is critical. We are proud to launch a serious investment in getting out the women’s vote for the 2012 election. With the new It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard Campaign, AAUW will work to educate women across the country about the rights and privileges that are at stake in the upcoming election. We will increase the volume and direction of women’s voices and commit ourselves to getting women to the polls in record numbers. (Quote from AAUW's Washington Update Page.)
AAUW, in its efforts to provide education and information throughout the coming year in preparation for the election, has asked all of the branches to participate. We can do this by providing information through research and by making sure our voices are heard through the internet, writing for the newsletter, through discussions and study groups.
A Woman Who Has Made a Difference
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, has continued her work through activism even after 6 years of retirement. She served on a commission that studied the Iraq War and she has tried to persuade states that appoint judges to elect them. She also hears Appellate Court cases. She has a strong belief in the need for judges who reflect diversity.
Please send your thoughts on the issues or people of "note" to me so that we can successfully pursue this venture on behalf of AAUW and women everywhere.
Half of Working Women Do Not Get Paid Maternity Benefits
A recent Census Bureau analysis showed that the share of women given time off for pregnancy, birth, and child care has decreased, with about 50% of working first-time mothers forced to pass up paychecks to stay at home. Unlike many other countries, the United States does not have a federal policy on paid parental leave. The lack of paid leave is more likely to affect those with less education.
AAUW believes that creating a work environment that helps employees balance the responsibilities of work and family is smart for businesses and good public policy. AAUW is committed to greater availability of and access to benefits and policies that create a family-friendly workplace environment, which are critical to women's equitable access and advancement in employment.
If you have questions, contact connect@aauw.org or call 800-326-2289 between 10 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday. If I can help, e-mail me, at bnkgardiner@rcn.com or call me at 610-861-2925.
Bernie Gardiner
Public Policy Chair
Help Stop Sexual Violence on Campus!
This week, the AAUW Action Fund Capitol Hill Lobby Corps are visiting members of Congress to build support for a critical piece of legislation that would fight sexual violence on our nation's campuses. They hope to reinforce the message you can send today: Help stop sexual violence and assault by cosponsoring the Campus SaVE Act!
With the 17th anniversary of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), we have an opportunity to join with other advocates and call for renewed efforts to prevent dating violence and sexual assault against teens and college students. In a video released last week, Vice President Joe Biden reminded us to "speak up and act and make it clear that violence against women will not be tolerated at your school, on your campus, at any time, for any reason."
A 2007 campus sexual-assault study by the U.S. Department of Justice found that around 28 percent of women are targets of attempted or completed sexual assault while they are college students. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) reports that college-age women are four times more likely than any other age group to face sexual assault. There is an epidemic of sexual violence on campuses, and we must take steps to stop it.
The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act (H.R. 2016) would help to end sexual assault and violence on campus by requiring schools to spell out their policies, conduct prevention activities, and ensure necessary assistance for victims. It would constitute a step toward ending the sort of violence which prevents women from attaining their educational dreams.
Ask your representative to cosponsor and support this important piece of legislation!
To send a message, click on the "Take Action" link in the upper right hand corner of this email.
Remember: You can always help strengthen AAUW's efforts to fight sexual violence and assault by making a tax-deductible donation to AAUW's Public Policy Fund!
Double your impact! Tweet, Facebook, and forward this action alert to friends and family.
Have a smartphone? AAUW Two Minute Activist now works on your iPhone, Android handset, or Blackberry!
Your Health or Your Job?
For too many American workers, the choice between their health and their job is one they are forced to face every time they or a family member gets sick. That's because nearly half of all private-sector workers in this country -- millions of Americans -- don't have the right to earn paid sick days. Fortunately, we can help change that, just as the city council of Seattle did for Seattle residents this month.
Urge your representative to keep America's working families healthy and economically secure by cosponsoring the Healthy Families Act (S.984/H.R. 1876).
The Healthy Families Act would provide full-time employees the right to earn seven paid sick days a year to be used for their own medical needs or to tend to the medical needs of a family member. It would also allow workers to use paid sick time to recover from or seek assistance related to an incidence of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault. Part-time employees would earn a pro-rated share of paid sick days.
A 2009 study found that 163 countries worldwide -- including 14 of the world's 15 most economically competitive countries -- guarantee workers' right to earn paid sick days. In these tough economic times, the decision to stay home sick without pay is a very difficult one. And if your job and your economic security are on the line, it's a risk many workers can’t afford to take.
Take Action!
Urge your representative to cosponsor the Healthy Families Act (S.984/H.R. 1876). Simply click on the "Take Action" link in the upper right corner or visit AAUW's Two-Minute Activist page. Then follow the instructions to compose and send your message.
Want to do more to support earned sick days? Download AAUW’s resource kit now.
Remember: You can always help strengthen AAUW's efforts to support earned sick days by making a tax-deductible donation to AAUW’s Public Policy Fund!
Double your impact! Tweet, Facebook, and forward this action alert to friends and family.
AAUW History Snapshot
1955 - AAUW supported the first federal legislative proposal for pay equity in a year when a woman working full time, year round made an average of 65 cents to every dollar earned by a man. The Adventures in Freedom study kit encouraged women to understand their integral roles in the economy.
