From: Nita and Shaunna, Ultraviolet

Last week, House Republicans voted on a disastrous bill that would allow employers to demand more work for less pay. It’s time to show Congress what a pro-woman economic agenda really looks like. Tell us what matters most to you.

http://act.weareultraviolet.org/go/756?t=2&akid=445.6000.VqfXmr

Dear Readers:

Eric Cantor and House Republicans are intent on rolling back women’s economic rights and we have to push back.

Last week, they passed a disastrous bill that would allow employers to demand more work for less pay under the guise that it would give women and families more flexibility.1

50,000 UltraViolet members weighed in and made it clear that women aren’t falling for this gimmick–and President Obama heard you and vowed to veto the bill.2

But now pro-woman champions in Congress are left wondering, what does a pro-family, pro-woman economic agenda look like?

With 42% of women having to choose between their paycheck and taking care of a sick child,3 childcare being more expensive than rent in 22 states,4 and the average woman losing almost $11,000 dollars every year due to wage discrimination,5 this is an urgent priority to figure out.

So can you tell us: What policies are imperative to increasing the economic security of women and our families? And what is your experience with them–does your office offer child care? Paid sick leave? We’ll take the top responses from all UltraViolet members and put them into a 21st agenda for family economic security and make sure every member of Congress knows where we stand.

Tell us what’s most important to you in a pro-woman economic agenda.
http://act.weareultraviolet.org/go/756?t=3&akid=445.6000.VqfXmr

The gender wage gap has been stagnant over the last decade.6 So far, Connecticut is the only state that requires paid sick leave,7 which ensures workers can stay home when they’re sick. And don’t even get us started on how the US is one of only three nations in the entire world that doesn’t offer paid maternity leave.8

All of this makes it harder to be a working woman, a parent, and a caregiver in America.

We need to show Eric Cantor and his fellow Republicans what a pro-woman economic agenda really looks like. UltraViolet is launching a major campaign to push it, but first we want to hear about what matters most to you.

Will you take 5 minutes to fill out the survey?

Tell us what matters most to you in a pro-woman economic agenda.
http://act.weareultraviolet.org/go/756?t=4&akid=445.6000.VqfXmr

Thanks for speaking out.

Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Malinda, and Karin, the UltraViolet team

Sources:

1.Working Families Flexibility Act Passes House Over Opposition Of Democrats, Labor, Huffington Post, May 8, 2013

2. Ibid.

Harkin, DeLauro Renew Fight for Paid Sick Days, Senator Harkin press release, March 12, 2013

3. Working Women Need Paid Sicks Days, National Partnership for Women and Families, 2013

4. Parents and the High Cost of Child Care, Child Care Aware of America, 2012

5. What Could Women Do With $10,662 Per Year?, National Women’s Law Center, April 20, 2010

6. The Wage Gap is Stagnant in Last Decade, National Women’s Law Center, September 2012

7. State and Local Action on Paid Sick Days, National Partnership for Women and Families, April 2013

8. How The Zero Weeks Of Paid Maternity Leave In The U.S. Compare Globally, Think Progress, May 24, 2012