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Time for a Raise

Posted by Annie Mathews, Law Student Intern | Posted on: July 24, 2013 at 10:56 am

Four years ago today, minimum wage workers across the country got a raise. The federal minimum wage rose to $7.25 per hour, the last step of a three-step increase that started in 2007, when the minimum wage was just $5.15 per hour, and completed in 2009. That wasn’t a lot of money in 2009 and it’s even less today—$7.25 won’t quite cover two gallons of gas. (According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, regular unleaded was $3.633 per gallon in June of 2013, and last year hit $3.927). A woman working full time, year round at $7.25 per hour only makes $14,500 per year, barely above the poverty line for a single woman and thousands of dollars below the poverty line for a single mom with two children.  

Communities around the country have recognized that $7.25 per hour is not enough. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have state minimum wages above the federal level , and next year, New York will join their ranks. These states are also helping to narrow the wage gap: on average, states with minimum wages above the federal level have wage gaps that are 14% smaller [PDF] than those at the federal minimum wage.

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Swarthmore Students See Results

Posted by Abigail Graber, Intern | Posted on: July 22, 2013 at 11:07 am

As an alum of Swarthmore College who looks back on my years there with halcyon nostalgia, nothing could be more disheartening to me than to learn that my alma mater had been covering up reports of sexual assault, misreporting campus crime statistics, and turning a cold shoulder to survivors looking for support and justice. But after students filed Clery Act and Title IX complaints against the college last spring, I was forced to acknowledge that while Swarthmore gave me the educational foundation and friends to last a lifetime, other students—survivors of sexual assault—received so much less than the college promised and than they deserved.

Swarthmore took an important step last Thursday in restoring my confidence in the school and, more importantly, the safety of the students currently enrolled. In an open letter, President Rebecca Chopp detailed the initial actions Swarthmore will take to respond to the “sea change” in the law addressing sexual assault and harassment at America’s colleges and universities. From a number of new policies the college will roll out as soon as this summer, it’s clear that Swarthmore would rather surf the wave than drown.

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In the Footsteps of Seneca Falls and Beyond: The Women’s Economic Agenda

Posted by Yiyang Wang, Online Outreach Intern | Posted on: July 19, 2013 at 02:16 pm

Despite the terrible heat wave that is currently enveloping Washington DC, representatives from a plethora of organizations and offices showed their support on the Capitol steps at an event on the women’s economic agenda. Not only was the event a great platform to discuss ways to improve the lives of working women, it was a great gathering spot for likeminded people who are passionate about improving women’s lives. To make the day even more special, we observed the 165th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention in American history.

The list of speakers was impressive: Leader Pelosi was joined by Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro, Doris Matsui, Nydia M. Velasquez, Donna Edwards and special guests who shared their personal stories. Each story highlighted the need for us to strengthen certain economic investments to help women and their families.

NWLC staff and interns with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

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Hanging with Mr. President

Posted by Kate Dickerson, Outreach Associate | Posted on: July 19, 2013 at 11:50 am

At the White HouseSo yesterday was a REALLY exciting day for me! I was invited to the White House to see President Obama give a speech on the health care law, a.k.a. Obamacare. There are a lot of beneficial parts of the health care law for young women such as myself, like no co-pay preventive services and no longer being charged more for insurance by simply being a woman. I was asked to come to the White House because a few months ago I received a rebate from my insurance company. Yes, my insurance company sent me a check as opposed to a bill. The reason for this is that there is a provision in Obamacare that says that insurance companies have to use 80% of premium costs on care. If insurance companies do not use the majority of funds on care then they need to return the difference. Pretty great, right?

How it worked for me was that because I have insurance through NWLC, they received the check and the amount that normally comes out of my paycheck for my insurance plan was less. Some people might not even realize that they received the rebate but I was watching for it. Full disclosure, I have a lot of student loans, but on one of my loans I was really close to paying it off. When I received that extra amount in my paycheck, I was actually able to pay off one of my student loans!!

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I Agree with Leader Pelosi: When Women Succeed, America Succeeds

Posted by Julie Vogtman, Senior Counsel | Posted on: July 18, 2013 at 04:32 pm

This week marks the 165th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention in U.S. history. The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton for the convention asserted that “all men and women are created equal” and called for legal and societal reforms reflecting that equal status, including “securing to woman an equal participation with men in the various trades, professions, and commerce” and – more radical still – granting women the right to vote.

This afternoon on Capitol Hill, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and several other House Democrats – women and men – gathered with women’s rights advocates of today to recognize the immense progress that women have made since 1848 – as well as the work yet to be done to ensure that women have equal opportunity to support themselves and their families. To address the challenges facing women in the 21st century, they unveiled an important new initiative, “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families.”

Leader Pelosi with other Members of Congress and Women's Rights Advocates on the Hill

As Leader Pelosi observed in her remarks, women now make up close to half of the U.S. workforce, and more families rely on women’s income than ever before. At the same time, women represent nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers, and the typical woman working full time, year round is paid just 77 cents for every dollar paid to her male counterpart. Workplace policies that fail to accommodate the needs of working parents and inadequate access to high-quality, affordable child care compound economic challenges for many women. Throughout their lives, women are more likely than men to experience poverty.

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Why the "Student Success Act" Puts Schools and Their Students on the Wrong Course

Posted by Ellie Klein, Intern | Posted on: July 18, 2013 at 10:37 am

When the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, its goal was to enhance educational opportunities for disadvantaged children. As Senator Tom Harkin, Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, asserted in an Education Week blog last month, ESEA was meant to help lift children out of poverty by making high-quality education accessible to all.

That is still the goal today. And while the 2001 reauthorization of the law, also known as No Child Left Behind, was well intentioned and helped expose the stark disparities in our education system, leaders from both parties acknowledge that the law needs improvement. Republicans and Democrats in the both the House and the Senate have come up with their own revised versions of ESEA this summer (New America’s blog put out a helpful side by side comparison here [PFD]).

Today, the House will begin debate on the so-called “Student Success Act” (SSA), the version of ESEA reauthorization proposed by John Kline, chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee. Despite the clever title, the bill is a giant step in the wrong direction for students.

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Calling All Moms: Enrollment in the ACA’s Health Care Exchanges Starts October 1

Posted by Lily Baggott, Communications Intern | Posted on: July 18, 2013 at 09:58 am

I have two older brothers, ages 28 and 33. We don’t agree on most things and a bickering dinner table is common place—until our mom steps in.

On March 23, 2010 President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—dubbed “Obamacare”—into law. That’s right: it’s the law. Over the past three years, parents have been able to keep children under 26 insured through their plans, those with a pre-existing condition have been able to get covered, and seniors have stopped skipping their prescription medication. And this October 1, enrollment for the individual marketplace exchanges will open.

“I’m curious, what would make you sign up for Obamacare?”

“I’m not going to; I don’t believe in Obamacare.”

Not the best way to phrase the question for my brother, I admit. The fact is, enrollment is beginning soon, and I’m tired of talking politics when it comes to health care. After 37 House of Representatives votes, the ACA is still moving forward. The law has sustained several challenges in court and has helped to better cover many people in this country. What I wanted to say to my brother was, “Let’s move on, because it’s the law. And it can help you.”

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Why Today’s House Vote Could Mean Higher Insurance Premiums

Posted by Danielle Garrett, Health Policy Analyst | Posted on: July 17, 2013 at 02:47 pm

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives is voting to delay the Affordable Care Act’s individual responsibility provision. Coincidentally, this is happening on the same day that the New York Times is reporting that New York’s insurance rates for 2014 are AT LEAST 50% lower than current rates. An individual living in New York City who currently pays $1000 a month for health insurance will see their rate decrease to just $308 a month. And that’s even BEFORE factoring in new federal subsidies that will help individuals cover a portion of their premium costs.

It’s pretty obvious that lower rates are good news for all New Yorkers, particularly women who have a harder time affording health care and are more likely than men to avoid needed health care services because of cost, but this news should also convince the House to vote down the effort to delay the individual responsibility provision.

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