| “Equal work, equal salary” |
| President Obama signs law that recognizes the just payment after women |
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| Congressmen of the President Barack Obama unite after Justo Lilly Ledbetter has signed the Law of the Salary. In the photo aparace (Of Left to Der). along with Senator Barbara Mikulski, Lilly Ledbetter, the delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and the leader of the Senate Nancy Pelosi during a meeting in the White House on Thursday, the 29th of January. Photo: Ron Edmonds/AP. |
Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic
The workpeople will not be able already to be discriminated salarialmente by his sex, race, etnía, religion or fatherland thanks to a project of law approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate, which turned into law on Thursday, the 29th of January on having been signed by the president Barack Obama.
The project named Law of the Payment Justo Lilly Ledbetter restores the right of the worker, especially of the women, of claiming the same salary and the index of wage increases that his partners receive males, what it is possible to translate in “equal work, equal salary” without importing if the worker is a man or woman. The law annuls a decision of the Supreme Court: Ledbetter vs. Goodyear who was denying to the workpeople his right to fight in Court an unjust salary and it eliminates the term of time established to present a complaint.
“This law sustains the beginning of which we all are created in equality”, pointed out the president Obama during a ceremony in the White House, where also there took part the secretary of the State, Hillary Clinton and the president of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
The law takes the name of the claimant, Lilly Ledbetter, who took to Court the company Goodyear Tire and Rubber after discovering that they had paid to him less that to his companions men and his wage increases were smaller for more than 19 years of working for the company. After several years of litigation the Supreme Court declared that his claim was not valid, because in accordance with the judges Ledbetter it did not express his claim to the Commission on the Equal opportunity of Employment (EEOC for his initials in English) in the first 180 days after receiving a discriminatory wage increase. The project of law, approved now by both cameras re-spills the frustrated decision of the Supreme Court on having established that every discriminatory payment is considered to be a new case of discrimination of payment, in violation of the Title VII of the Law of Civil rights of 1964.
“ This is a big victory for the civil rights and for the defenders of the workpeople. This action for the Lower House and the Senate demonstrates to us that the new Congress is compromised by the equality and the justice for all the workers and fatherland did not import his sex, race, religion, ó”, pointed out Milton Rosado, National President of the Trade union Advice for the Advance of the Latin-American Worker (LCLAA, for his initials in English).
On the other hand the director of the legislative office of Washington DC of ACLU, Caroline Fredrickson this new law restores the right of the personnel to fight the discriminatory payment. “The decision that the Supreme Court was taking in the case Ledbetter essentially it was giving to the employers a free pass to discriminate. Now the Congress with his vote puts final point to the injustices provoked by the decision Ledbetter”, expressed Fredrickson.
“ This happens in the middle of an economic recession, and for million hard-working families to which scarcely they produce his wages. For this reason, every dollar is necessary. It does not matter how small be the wage discrimination, this type of discrimination has harmful consequences in short and long term, not only in the salary that the workpeople gain along his lives, but also in the benefits that will receive from his pensions and Social Insurance when they retire. To prepare the wage discrimination is crucial for the economic stability of our pensioners, so that they could enjoy the rest of his life, living worthily and not in poverty, ”doctor Gabriela D added. Lemus, executive director of LCLAA.
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| They demand the ICE for violation of the civil rights |
| With video they sustain racial pursuit |
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| Mario Quiroz spokesman of House of Maryland presents the video of the raid realized in Baltimore on January 23, 2007. The video was provided by the shop 7-Eleven. Photo Alvaro Ortiz/Washington Hispanic. |
Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic
With the presentation of a video where there have remained engraved the images of the raid realized in the parking of one 7-Eleven in the city of Baltimore in January, 2007, House of Maryland thinks about how to sustain a demand for violation of the civil rights and demonstrate that the agents of the Office of Immigration and Customs (I HOISTED, for his initials in English) acted as based on a racial pursuit. In the video is seen clearly how the immigration officials were intimidating the persons with "Hispanic" appearance then to interrogate them and to stop them.
Two years, after having being stopped during a raid in the parking of the shop 7-Eleven in the city of Baltimore, three men who were part of the group of 24 questioned persons and aprehendidas that morning of January 23, 2007 they presented formally a complaint before the Department of Internal Safety (DHS, for his initials in English) for “violation of his civil rights and to have been arrested illegally”, it indicated Washington Hispanic, lawyer Justin Cox.
Under this demand these three workers claim a civil compensation for 500 thousand dollars for each one and if they do not receive an answer of the government in the next six months, they pointed out that they will take the demand before a Federal Court.
To base the demand, the lawyers of House of Maryland, which in turn there represent the claimants, who were not present during the press conference, they presented a video provided by the shop 7-Eleven engraving during the intervention of the agents of the Office of Immigration and Customs (I HOISTED, for his initials in English). In the above mentioned video it is proved that the agents came and intimidated all the persons with "Hispanic" appearance then to interrogate them and to stop them. The video shows clearly how the officials of the ICE allowed to happen or simply they were not taking attention to the passers-by and clients of the shop of American African origin and of Anglo-Saxon appearance.
“ This video proves that I HOISTED it is making use of racial profiles and that this raid was an only one example of discrimination.
I cannot answer if these persons have legal papers or not, but yes I can make sure that they have the right to present his demand because his civil rights are protected by the Constitution”, affirmed the lawyer.
Also they accuse the ICE of concealing information
As part of this investigation and under the Law of Libertad de Información, House of Maryland requested to the DHS a report with a detailed description of the events last January 23, 2007. The request was realized last September of 2008 and they received the first report in November.
The problem is that it departs from the information that details the report she is corrected making his reading impossible.
For such a reason House of Maryland has presented a demand before the Federal Court of Maryland in which they demand that there should be delivered all the information gathered during the raid without omitting any specification.
“ It is obvious that there is information that they do not want that we see. The explanation that they give us is that according to the law some exceptions can be applied, but as lawyer I have a lot of experience in this type of cases and the "exceptions" that they mention do not apply to documents that simply narrate the facts of the happened”, tells lawyer Justin Cox.
According to the lawyer it is very important to obtain the whole finished papers because it might show up more that it was operated deliberately based on a racial profile to realize the detentions. “Between the arrested still stay hanging cases in the Spanish Parliament of Immigration and if we prove that the ICE acted taking into consideration the physical appearance of the arrested it might prove that the arrests were illegal. Also we want to demonstrate that yes cases of discrimination are appearing when an agent of the order interacts, be already the police or an immigration agent with an immigrant”, there finished the lawyer of House of Maryland.
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| Now the Senate is missing |
| Big victory achieves the stimulus plan |
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| The president Barack Obama, accompanied by the Secretary of Press of the White House, Robert Gibbs (right), greets in Capitol Hill after meeting senators and representatives. Photo: Charles Dharapak / AP |
Steven R. Hurst
AP
A historical plan of economic stimulus for 819.000 million dollars, approved the House of Representatives on Wednesday, the 28th, on what an early legislative victory met to the presidency of Barack Obama.
The voting was 244-188 in the Lower House, at the end of which the proposal was sent to the Senate, where one hopes that the debate should begin this Monday, the 2nd with a parallel project of law that has already come taking form.
The democratic leaders have promised to have the ready legislation so that Obama promulgates it in the middle of February. The republican work surface voted in against, in spite of the insistent ones called of the president Barack Obama to achieve a two-party proposal.
The legislation includes approximately 544.000 millions of dollars in federal expenses and 275.000 millions in taxes clippings for individuals and companies. Also it provides money for the construction of highways and the massive transit.
The axis of the fiscal reductions stipulates a clipping for 500 dollars for the single workpeople and of 1.000 dollars for the couples.
On the other hand, the secretary of Press of the White House, Robert Gibbs, announced that on February 19 it will be the first international trip of Obama like president, in a visit to Canada.
Gibbs did not offer any more information about the trip. A source who spoke with AP under anonymity condition, because the itinerary is still under analysis, pointed out that at least there will be a visit to Ottawa, the Canadian capital.
The House of Representatives controlled by democrats approved the night of Wednesday, the 28th a historical plan of economic stimulus for 819.000 million dollars, on what an early legislative victory met to the presidency of Barack Obama.
Obama has worked eagerly the economic topics that have dominated the first days of his government, which inherited an economic crisis without comparison from the Big Depression of the decade of 1930.
The voting of 244-188 in the Lower House sent the proposal to the Senate, where one hopes that the debate should begin this Monday, the 2nd, with a parallel project of law that has already come taking form. The democratic leaders have promised to have the ready legislation so that Obama promulgates it in the middle of February.
" This recovery plan will save or create more than three million new work places in the next years", affirmed the president in a widely used bulletin moments after the voting in the Lower House.
Hours earlier, Obama said that the United States was "in a dangerous moment" and "there is no moment to be lost", while the legislators were hurrying to defend his expositions on the worst economic crisis from the Big Depression.
With the unemployment at his highest levels in the last 25 years, the banking swaying in spite of the infusion of amazing sums of money of a plan of financial rescue and the states fighting to finance his budgets, the democrats support that the legislation is necessary, while the republicans criticize it because they believe that it remains short in fiscal exemptions and contains too much public expenditure.
Measurements without precedents
The president said that it comprises the skepticism on the size of the bundle of stimulus, "reason for which this recovery plan will include measurements without precedents who will allow to the American people to do that my administration realizes". It indicated that his fellow citizens will be able to give him pursuit to the expense in a new place in the Internet: www.recovery.gov.
The legislation includes approximately 544.000 millions of dollars in federal expenses and 275.000 millions in taxes clippings for individuals and companies. Also it provides money for the construction of highways and the massive transit.
The axis of the fiscal reductions stipulates a clipping for 500 dollars for the single workpeople and of 1.000 dollars for the couples.
" Another week than we take a long time they are another 100.000 or more unemployed persons. I believe that we do not want that in our consciences", there argued the democratic representative David Obey, who directs the Committee of Allocations of the Lower House and one of the principal authors of the legislation.
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| For trying to sell Obama position |
| They withdraw from the charge the IL governor. |
Springfield, Illinois
AP
The governor Rod Blagojevich was pled guilty in his contesting judgment and he was withdrawn from the charge.
His retirement takes place almost two months after having being arrested under charges of trying to sell the bench that the president Barack Obama made vacant in the Senate. He is the first governor in more than 20 years in being withdrawn by means of a political judgment.
The voting in the Senate of Illinois it to plead guilty of abuse of authority was 59-0. Immediately the legislators began to vote if they will prohibit him to occupy a public position again in the state.
The democratic vice-governor Patrick Quinn automatically turned into the new governor.
Hours earlier, Blagojevich came to the Senate to do a driven to despair effort to preserve his employment, warning him the legislators who were on the point of establishing a "dangerous" and "chilling" precedent.
Blagojevich was detained on December 9 accused of several charges of corruption, and then left at large on bail.
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| Also to new Secretary of Justice |
| Senate ratifies Geithner as Secretary of the Treasure. |
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| Timothy Geithner (right) receives the greeting of vice-president Joe Biden after swearing in the Secretary's charge of the Treasure, in the presence of the president (left) Barack Obama and his wife Carole, who observes it smilingly. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP |
Washington Hispanic
The Senate ratified on Monday, the 26th Timothy Geithner, ex-chief of the branch of the Federal Reservation in the city of New York, like the secretary of the Treasure of the president Barack Obama.
The voting of 60-34 puts Geithner at the head of the Obama plan to rescue the economy plunged in the worst financial crisis in three generations. It gives also the green light to one of the nominations of Obama that was facing more obstacles.
Some senators had shown his worry for the fact that Geithner, who would supervise the Service of Internal Collection, did not pay all his taxes but until it was mentioned like future member of the presidential office.
Geithner, who will be in charge of the agency that collects the taxes answered that the situation was not intentional, but an oversight, and he has paid the account dependent on 34.000 dollars.
As well as, Obama advanced small other in completing his office with the guarantee of the commissions of the Senate to the nominations of Eric Holder like secretary of Justice and the retired admiral Dennis Blair like the new Director Nacional of Intelligence. The plenary meeting of the Senate must confirm them later.
Blair would be the adviser of more important intelligence of Obama, with a budget for 50.000 million dollars that includes 16 agencies.
Holder, who would turn the first African - American one in being a secretary of Justice, attested during the hearings that "the submarine", a skill of interrogation that simulates a drowning, is a torture and promised to sue in the American courts the arrested in the prison of Guantanamo, breaking this way the antiterrorist politics of the government of George W. Bush.
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| With the minted figure of Duke Ellington |
| Washington DC has his currency |
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Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic
“ Justice for all” is one of the inscriptions that appears in the first currency of quarter of dollar of the District of Columbia that began circulating on Monday, the 26th of January and of certain way it represents feeling of his inhabitants. And, right to vote is that although the District of Columbia is a head office of the capital of the nation it has no autonomy, not in the Congress, a situation that is not defined yet and for which the authorities are in a constant struggle. The currency entered circulation precisely one day before the hearings begin on the project of law of right to vote for DC in the Congress.
According to the office of Eleanor Holmes Norton, conferee who represents DC the effort to have its own currency began it does more than seven year and now it is fulfilled by another challenge that would lead to the District of Columbia to obtaining the recognition and autonomy.
" The District has gained another measurement of equality and pride of being an American citizen. We are very satisfied that the circulation of the currency begins just when we are going to begin our hearings for the right to vote”, expressed Eleanor Norton in a bulletin.
The new currency takes the figure of Duke Ellington, one of the most distinguished and recognized personages of the District of Columbia. Duke Ellington was born in Washington DC in 1899 inside a middle class family and from early age he devoted himself to the music and turned into a composer and interpreter of the piano internationally recognized.
The collectors can obtain two rolls of coins of 0.25 cents or a bag of 100 for 32.95 dollars, or a bag of 100 for 309.95 dollars in the banks. Also they can be bought across the web page www.usmint.gov or calling to 1-800-USA-MINT
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