Update: Hurley Mtn. Road Traffic Light

Update from Doris Goldberg:

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has been 'counting' the cars traveling on Hurley Mountain Road to and from Route 28 in an attempt to evaluate what safety measures could prevent accidents and fatalities.Mark Morano from the regional office of NYSDOT said that this matter was given priority because of the letters sent to politicians by people who wanted action taken after Dick Hlavsa's death at this intersection.(So YES, individual action can have an effect!)

There have been long standing safety issues for residents and businesses near the Route 28/Hurley Mountain road intersection because the road divider on Route 28 means that drivers must travel considerable distances to change direction or else incur risks by making turns at unmarked breaks in the divider. Louise Flood, longtime AAUW member, and Bruce Whistance both brought pressure to bear on the Town of Ulster which requested the NYSDOT to evaluate the matter in a written request that was dated March 10, 2008.

We are now writing to the Region 8 office of NYSDOT to find out if this request by the Town of Ulster covers both current safety hazards mentioned on Route 28 or if it is necessary to ask the Town of Ulster to make a separate request for he T-intersection.We will keep you posted on further developments. If you have any questions or ideas on how to hasten action, please call Doris Goldberg, 845-679-3239.

Branch Voter Registration & Education Drive

From Janine Mower:

The AAUW Branch voter registration and education drive will begin in July with a TV show on Woodstock public access channel 23 - date and time to be announced.

Volunteers are welcome to come to Mower's Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday Markets to staff a card table

for voter registration and education beginning Wednesday, July 2. I will provide the card table; volunteers need to bring their own folding chairs. I will obtain the voter registration forms from the board of elections.

More details to follow in the next week or so; watch the KAAUW blog.

Safe Roads: Help us get a traffic light installed

From Doris Goldberg:

Where? The intersection of Route 28 and Hurley Mountain Road

Take Action

We urge you to support the installation of a traffic light at the intersection of Route 28 and Hurley Mountain Road. The intersection has a history of fatalities, the most recent – AAUW member Richard Hlavsa in 2007. The speed and density of traffic on Route 28 has increased substantially over the past few years and will continue to grow with the development of Route 28 and Belleayre.

Without your intervention, this request will move very slowly. We understand that the process to install the last traffic light in Ulster County took twelve years to complete.

The request must start from the Town of Ulster. You can easily send an email to the Town of Ulster supervisor by completing your information here.

(This is a free service to help citizens speak out to their representatives.)

Senate Fails to Move Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to a Vote

It's hard to believe we're still fighting for pay equity. We've been disappointed for the second time. Last week by the NY State Senate, this week by the US Senate.

Yesterday there was a vote in the US Senate to end debate and move to a vote an the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It takes 60 votes to succeed. We only had 57, so Majority Leader Reid voted with the Republicans -- a procedural move that will allow him to bring the bill up again at a later date.

You can see how the senators voted here.

Remember, it's an election year. Senator McCain didn't show up for the vote. How would he have voted?

Both our senators voted in favor, of course. You can send them a thank you note through the AAUW take action link.

This weekend Lilly Ledbetter is the keynote speaker at the NY State AAUW Convention. I look forward to hearing her story firsthand.

77 Cents on the Dollar --And Lip Service from Albany

More than 40 years after passage of the Equal Pay Act the average women continues to earn only 77 cents on the dollar to their male counterparts. Minority women face an even larger wage gap.

Just one year out of college, women working full time earn only 80% of what their male counterparts earn, even when they work in the same field. Ten years after graduation, the gap widens. Pay disparities affect women of all ages, races, and education levels-regardless of their family decisions.

AAUW believes that pay equity is a simple matter of justice and continues to support initiatives that seek to close the persistent and sizable wage gap between men and women.

In NYS it's time to take action.

It's time for us to take action because Albany apparently won't.

It's the same thing every year -- the pay equity bill passes the House but never gets out of the Labor Committee in the Senate. For six years our elected representatives have been giving us nothing but lip service.

Bruno won't comment. Robach, Committee Chair, talks out of both sides of his mouth.

Read the AAUW Educational Foundation's research report, Behind the Pay Gap for more information information on the pay gap.

CALL Senator Joseph Robach, Chair,Senate Labor Committee
518.455.2909 (preferable) and ask for his Chief of Staff

or write him at 902 LOB, Albany, NY 12247

or e-mail robach@senate.state.ny.us.

Tell him you want the NYS Fair Pay Bill (S3936) out of committee and on the floor of the Senate for debate. We want to know where our elected representatives stand on pay equity. When will that happen?

Photo by Anyaka

Support the Prevention First Act

Last Tuesday, the CDC released new data estimating that one in four young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States-over 3 million girls-is infected with at least one of the four most common sexually transmitted diseases.

Currently, there are three separate federal programs that fund abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, but no federal funding exists specifically for comprehensive sex education. States can only receive funding if they agree to teach abstinence-only-until-marriage while excluding information about the health benefits of contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

The Prevention First Act includes a comprehensive approach to sex education - age appropriate education that promotes abstinence but includes information about contraception.

Take Action!

To read more about this issue and thank Senators Schumer and Clinton for cosponsoring and supporting the Prevention First Act, just click on this "Take Action" link. (If you live outside NY, enter your zip code and the message can be tailored for your senators.)

Problem with the link? You can copy and paste the following URL into your Internet browser:
http://capwiz.com/aauw/issues/alert/?alertid=11166706&PROCESS=Take+Action.

AAUW Every Member Poll Extended

National sent a message today that the poll, so important to the national strategic planning effort, has been extended to February 1.

Hard copy and return envelop were distributed in the Fall/Winter issue of Outlook, the National AAUW magazine. You can also complete it on-line by clicking on the 'DEADLINE EXTENDED for Every Member Poll - Jan 25, 2008' link in the AAUW News feed in the right column.

Don't wait! Have a voice in AAUW's future. Do it now!

Note: if you don't know your membership id number to sign in, just click the link for the member id search. It's quick and easy.

Holding Schools Accountable

There's a management truism that applies here -- if it's important, measure it.

National AAUW sent a Two-Minute Activist request this morning about participation in sports --

American Association of University Women - Two Minute Activist: "Title IX's fight against sex discrimination in federally-funded schools and educational programs in the U.S. has led to a 400 percent increase in the rate of female participation in college sports and a more than 800 percent increase in participation at the high school level."

They go on to say, though, that under Title IX, high schools don't have to report on the level of funding and participation. Colleges do, and we've seen a terrific growth in women's sports as a result.

But high school is where life-long interests and habits begin. And, it's far too easy for opportunities for girls to be slighted when budgets are tight and no one is paying attention. Reporting will focus that attention.

So, I encourage you to take two minutes to tell our senators' staff that we support the High School Sports Information Collection Act (S.518). Just click on the link, enter your zip code, and tailor your message.

Photo by MarkHaertl

Two minutes. It's important, so let's measure it.

Take Action to Correct Elimination of Low Cost Birth Control

Since 1990, drug companies have offered low cost birth control to college health clinics and safety-net providers, making it affordable for the college students and low-income women who rely on it. However, deficit reduction legislation passed by Congress in 2005 which took effect this year inadvertently excluded over 400 clinics from this program.

This means that many women, especially college students, were suddenly and unintentionally excluded from receiving low cost birth control from their local safety-net healthcare provider or university health clinic. Over 3 million undergraduate students have seen their monthly birth control prices skyrocket, from $10 up to $40 or $50.

This sharp rise in the cost of birth control dispensed by college campus health centers and clinics serving low-income women has forced many women to choose between reliable birth control and other necessities. It has also caused many college health clinics to stop providing birth control because they can no longer afford to do so.

Efforts are underway in both the House and the Senate to correct this error. But, the Prevention Through Affordable Access proposal needs public support. You can lend your support by clicking on this link to the Two Minute Activist. (You don't have to be an AAUW member to use this service.)

Photo by Amber Bradley

American Association of University Women - Two Minute Activist:

Abstinence Only Funding Increase Withdrawn

Update from Advocates for Youth

Yesterday, conservative Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) withdrew his amendment to increase funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and the Senate finally approved its fiscal year 2008 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill. The approved bill calls for a $28 million cut in the Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) program. Once again common sense has prevailed.

But our work isn't over!!

Senate supporters are working hard to keep the CUT in the final bill. But they need your support!

Three months ago the House of Representatives approved a $28 million INCREASE for the Abstinence Education program, even though a 10-year evaluation revealed that abstinence-only programs don't work. (Click here to read more: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/news/blogs/060807_jw.htm)

Now, the House and Senate have to agree on a final bill. Negotiations are moving quickly. The final bill could be voted out and on the President's desk by November 1st.

Take action today!

Young people deserve accurate and complete information to help them make responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

Please tell your representative: It's time for a change -- Support the Senate's abstinence-only-until-marriage $28 million cut!

Sincerely,
Sonya Clay
Domestic Policy Director
Advocates for Youth

Take Action Against Limiting Increases to Abstinence-Only Programs

Here's a message from the Advocates for Youth Site. Their action messages work much the same way AAUW's Two-Minute Activist Site works.

Urgent Action Needed!

Tell Congress to vote NO on abstinence-only funding increases.

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Conservatives in Congress want to continue pumping millions of dollars into harmful abstinence-only-until-marriage programs despite the fact that these programs don't work.

As early as today, conservative Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) plans to introduce an amendment to the Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations bill to increase funding for the Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) program, the largest and worst abstinence-only-until-marriage program.

Please contact your Senators today and tell them to vote NO on the Brownback amendment!!!

Young people's health and lives are at risk. They need the facts!!

• The United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developed world.
• Young people in the U.S. are also at high risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.
• Abstinence-only programs are prohibited, by law, from talking about contraceptives EXCEPT to discuss their failure rates.
• A 10-year congressionally mandated study of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs proved once and for all that these programs don't work.

Young people deserve the truth. Take Action Today!!

Please contact your Senator today and tell them to oppose the Oppose the Brownback Amendment.

Update: Emergency Contraception

Last week we posted an AAUW Action Network Alert asking for support of the Emergency Contraception Education Act. The act hasn't made it out of Congress. This week, the NYC Public Advocate's Office released a report that reinforces the importance of the act.

NYC teens find access to contraception not so easy, report says -- Newsday.com: "The office found more than 60 percent of the clinics failed to have emergency contraception available, 73 percent of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene sites failed to provide birth control by prescription and only seven of the 38 teen health clinics had female condoms readily available."

If this is what women find in NYC, what do you think happens here in Ulster County?

Support the Emergency Contraception Education Act

AAUW Action Network: Support the Emergency Contraception Education Act: "Nearly half of pregnancies of U.S. women are unintended, and four in 10 of those pregnancies end in abortion. Increased access to information about emergency contraception will help reduce unplanned pregnancies, reduce abortions, and improve access to women's health care. In addition, only 12 states currently require hospital emergency rooms to provide emergency contraception-related services to victims of sexual assault, even though it is often the only contraceptive option available to them.

AAUW supports the right of every woman to obtain medically accurate information about and access to safe and comprehensive reproductive health services. AAUW believes that improved pregnancy prevention programs and access to complete reproductive health information and services enhance women's reproductive choices."

Click on the link above to Take Action! by sending a message to your representatives requesting their support of this bill which directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate information on EC to health care providers-including recommendations on the use of EC in appropriate cases-and to the American people.

Urge Senate Ratification of World-Wide Women's Rights - Two Minute Activist

For more than 26 years, the U.S. Senate has failed not only to ratify the UN Women's Rights Treaty (CEDAW), but it has failed to even bring it to a vote. This lack of action is unacceptable.

185 countries have ratified the treaty.

The U.S. is one of only eight countries that have yet to do so. We stand alongside Sudan, Iran, Qatar, Somalia, Nauru, Palau, and Tonga. This is not the example the United States should be setting as a true leader of democracy and freedom around the world.

American Association of University Women - Two Minute Activist: "Take Action! Urge your senators to advocate for basic rights for all women around the world by ratifying CEDAW. Simply click the link, scroll down to the 'Take Action' section and follow the instructions to send your message to your U.S. Senators."

Support the National Women's History Museum Act

	Take Action!
The House has been dragging its feet in approving this bill which would pay fair market value to rent a building near the National Mall that is owned by the government and has been vacant for more than a decade. The Senate now has to pass it, again. Read the background and Take Action! Although women constitute a majority of the population, their lives, achievements, and contributions are often underrepresented in museums in the U.S. Recognition of the achievements made by American women will promote a better understanding of our history and culture for all. The National Women's History Museum is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and celebrating the diverse historic contributions of women, and integrating this rich heritage fully into our nation's history. In 1999, the President's Commission on the Celebration of Women in American History called for a women's history museum in Washington, D.C. and cited the efforts of the NWHM toward that goal.

Pay Equity for Some Young Women

From the AAUW Public Policy & Government Relations Dept.
A recently released analysis of U.S. census data shows that young women in certain major American cities are actually earning as much as 117 percent what their young male counterparts earn. The new data shows that women age 21-30 out-earn men in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, and Dallas, according to the New York Times. However, the trend does not hold past the age of 30, and the study does not compare women and men in similar jobs. Possible explanations for the trend point to the fact that more women are graduating college than men and are often flocking to urban areas. Others claim that women are more likely to be ambitious and career-driven earlier in their career in order to position themselves to have children later on.

The AAUW Educational Foundation’s report, Behind the Pay Gap, examines the wage gap between men and women nationwide and shows that just one year out of college, women working full time already earn less than their male colleagues, even when they work in the same field. Ten years after graduation, the pay gap widens.

ACTION: AAUW strongly supports legislation that seek to end wage discrimination and close the persistent and sizable wage gaps between men and women, and minorities as well. If you haven’t yet done so, please use AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist online to urge your members of Congress to support the Fair Pay Restoration Act (S. 1843) - the companion to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831) - as well as the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1338/S. 766) in the House and in the Senate. To learn more about pay equity, read AAUW’s position paper.

Photo by beckytekkie

Take Action: Support Paid Family Leave

The US is one of only five countries out of 173 that still don't guarantee some form of paid maternity leave. The other four countries? Lesotho, Liberia, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea.

Every day, families across the United States are forced to choose between taking care of a seriously ill child or working for the paycheck that covers that child's medication.

Sens. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Ted Stevens (R-AK) have introduced legislation to provide up to eight weeks of paid leave to workers needing time off due to birth or adoption, or to care for a child, spouse or parent with a serious illness, or for their own serious illness.


The AAUW Action Network Two Minute Activist posted a request this morning that we take action -- urge our senators to co-sponsor and support the Family Leave Insurance Act (S. 1681).

To read more and take action (It only takes two minutes to act!)

Photo by Bob Reck

Help More Women Manage the Cost of College

Update: On Tuesday, July 10, the White House threatened to veto the bill. Despite the 47 Republicans who joined the 226 Democrats who voted for the bill in the House, the bill fell 17 votes short of the amount needed to override a presidential veto.

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Higher education has become less of a luxury and more of a necessity in the American economy. The cost of college escalates each year. Women are more likely to borrow for their education than men and will make less on average after graduation. As a result, female graduates are more likely to struggle with their loan debt.

AAUW believes access to higher education is imperative to helping women obtain financial security and economic independence. We ask you to take two minutes to support pending legislation that will make the cost of college more manageable.

Both chambers of Congress will soon be voting on bills that will substantially alter America's financial aid system. The College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 2669) in the House and the Senate companion bill, the Higher Education Access Act (as yet unnumbered) seek to overhaul the student aid and debt relief system and make college more affordable for students and their parents.

The Senate is also considering the Higher Education Amendments (S. 1642), which would reauthorize the Higher Education Act.

Take Action!
Urge your members of Congress to pass these college affordability reform bills to reduce the barriers many face in attending college. Read more and use AAUW's Two Minute Activist to send a message to our elected officials.

Read AAUW's position paper on the HEA and our recommendations submitted to the House and Senate.

Photo by Lesliebyk

Take Action - Support the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

Lily Ledbetter sued Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and won. She proved to a jury that the company discriminated against her based on her sex by paying her less than her male colleagues. On May 29th the Supreme Court ruled against her. Why?

They said that since she did not raise a claim within 180 days of her last discriminatory raise, rather than – as the EEOC had previously been interpreting the law – from the day she received her last discriminatory paycheck, she was unable to challenge any discrimination against her, even thought the discrimination continued unabated for years.

This presents a problem. Employees generally don't know enough about what their co-workers earn or how pay decisions are made to file a complaint within six-months of when a discriminatory pay decision is made. The only recourse now is legislation.

Read about the pending legislation and send a 'Two Minute Activist' message to your elected representatives.

Happy 35th Anniversary, Title IX

Yes, it’s been 35 years since Congress passed Title IX to fight sex discrimination in federally-funded schools and educational programs in the United States. Title IX has led to a 400 percent increase in the rate of female participation in college sports and a more than 800 percent increase in participation at the high school level.

A significant drawback to the law's enforcement, however, involves the lack of data reporting at the high school level. The U.S. Department of Education has not required high schools to report athletic opportunity, participation, and funding statistics to any higher authority.

As a result, many feel that high school girls are likely being deprived of the critical opportunity to play sports. Colleges report this data; it's time our high schools are too. We encourage you to read AAUW's position paper on equity in school athletics.

Both the House and the Senate have bills pending that will require reporting. AAUW strongly supports both these bills. It's time we know the status of Title IX in America's high schools.

Photo by Jeremiah Sjoberg

Take Action!
In honor of Title IX's anniversary, please urge your Representatives to support the High School Athletics Accountability Act and the High School Sports Information Collection Act. Become a “Two-Minute Activist” by clicking here to send a message requesting their support.