As we enter the season of Thanksgiving and gratitude, here’s what 9to5 is grateful for in 2009:

We are thankful that President Barack Obama chose the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act as the first piece of legislation to be signed into law during the new Administration. The Ledbetter Act restores the protections against pay discrimination that was stripped away by the Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter vs. Goodyear Tire & Rubber and ensures that those subjected to unlawful pay discrimination are able to effectively assert their rights under federal anti-discrimination laws.

We are thankful for the nearly 50 9to5 activists who attended the Annual Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. this year and took to Capitol Hill to lobby for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act which has already passed the House but is languishing in the Senate. The Paycheck Fairness Act is a much-needed update of the Equal Pay Act, closing longstanding loopholes and strengthening incentives to prevent pay discrimination. Together, with the Ledbetter Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act will help create a climate where wage discrimination is not tolerated and where the administration has the enforcement tools it needs to make real progress on ending wage discrimination.

We are thankful for the hundreds of 9to5 members and untold numbers of their families, friends and co-workers who have pledged to not only spread the word about the Paycheck Fairness Act but to continue talking to their elected members of Congress to win passage of the Healthy Families Act, federal legislation that will guarantee up to seven paid sick days so that workers can care for themselves or their loved ones in times of illness without losing pay or losing a job.

We are thankful for all those who have pledged to continue to speak out in 2010 to help close the pay gap, ensure family-friendly workplace policies for women and their families, and win rights, raises and respect in the workplace.