Pay Equity Coalition Holds News Conference to Demand Passage of the Fair Pay Act

ALBANY, NY (06/12/2007)(readMedia)-- Who: New York State Pay Equity Coalition*

Invited speakers: Assembly Member Susan John, Senator Craig Johnson, Melanie Trimble, Executive Director of the Capital Region's Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union and Barbara Smith, NYSPEC Education Coordinator .(Others to be added.)

What: Holds news conference unveiling more than 2,000 petition signatures for passage of NYS Fair Pay Act. With the loss of the federal equal pay protections as a result of the Supreme Court's Ledbetter v. Goodyear decision, the passage of the NYS Fair Pay Bill (A.2712/S.3936) is needed more than ever to protect women and people of color from pay discrimination.

When: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 at 10AM.

Where: Room 130 of the Legislative Office Building (LOB-LCA)

Why: The NYS Fair Pay Bill (A.2712/S.3936) provides all those employed in NYS with freedom of speech regarding their salaries (See S754 #2). It also assures that job titles in which women and people of color predominate receive equal pay for work of equal value. This legislation is more critical following the May 29th 2007 Supreme Court decision gutting federal equal pay protections.

Following the press conference NYSPEC will deliver more than 2,000 petition signatures urging passage of NYS Fair Pay Bill to the offices of Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and Governor Eliot Spitzer.

• NYSPEC includes labor unions, such as NYSUT, UUP, UPSEU, SEIU, PEF, NYSNA, and DC37. Other organizations in NYSPEC include NYS Civil Liberties Union, NYS Girl Scout Legislative Network, Women's Sports Foundation, Capital District Labor and Religion Coalition and the National Association for Female Executives, National Organization for Women, American Association of University Women, NYS Business and Professional Women's Clubs, NY Women's Agenda, Long Island Fund for Women & Girls, the NYS League of Women Voters and Women on the Job Task Force (NYSPEC's founding organization).

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