Council Member Helen Sears and the New York Women's Agenda Spotlight the need for Equal Pay Legislation for Women and People of Color at 2nd Annual Equal Pay Day Rally on NYC Steps of City Hall
Press Conference & Rally Before City Council Hearing on Equal Pay Legislation to
highlight the issue of the disparity in pay for women and people of color in observance of
Equal Pay Day
When:
Thursday, April 17, 2008 -9:00 AM
Where:
Steps of City Hall followed by City Council Hearing in the Council Chambers
Why:
The NY City Council is holding a hearing to review two resolutions in support of state
and federal fair pay legislation. Passage would be a clear statement to NY State and
to Congress that when it comes to Pay Equity....NYC means business!
The hearing is timed to coincide with Equal Pay Day, observed in April to indicate how far into each year a woman must work to earn as much as a man earned in the previous year.
In 2008, April 22nd symbolizes the day when women's wages catch up to men's wages from the previous year. Because women on average earn less, they must work longer for the same
pay. For women of color, the wage gap is greater. While women's wages have risen in all
states, in terms of inflation-adjusted dollars, since 1989, the typical full-time woman
worker does not make as much as the typical man in any state. At the present rate of
progress, it will take 50 years to close the wage gap nationwide. State and Federal
legislation is necessary to ensure the end of this economic discrimination.
WHY CARE? PAY EQUITY FACTS
Maybe it's someone you know - a neighbor or spouse.
Maybe it's you.
But women and people of color in the U.S. are still underpaid for the work they are
doing--77 cents on the dollar as compared to the highest paid group, their white male
counterparts.
Those dollars that don't add up each week, make Pay Equity a family pocket book issue!
Singles:
About 50% of American women live without a spouse, which shatters the myth that
women need less money because they have "someone to lean on."
Moms: :
In NYC, a single mom and her preschooler needed about $39,000 to live in Brooklyn and
over $60,000 to live in South Manhattan in 2004, just for a basic standard of living. But, the median income for a single mother was about $26,000. Government subsidies help fill some of the gap between income and the reality of city life. How does she choose between good childcare and necessary healthcare and healthy food?
Professionals:
Higher education isn't protection from pay inequities, though it increases annual incomes. NY women with professional degrees earn 67% of what their male counterparts earn!
Women of Color: :
In NYC, Latinas and Black women earn 50% and 60%, respectively, as
compared to white men, who have the highest annual pay of all groups.
Aging Workers: :
Over a working lifetime, wage disparity costs $700,000 to $2 million in lost
wages, impacting families daily, but also Social Security benefits & pensions.
Private Sector Workers:
Private for-profit companies have the widest wage gap. The
greatest gender parity is in the federal government where Pay Equity policies exist.
This loss of earnings --every day, every year --affects the lives of these workers, their families, and our community. It is the product of society's undervaluing the work of women and people of color.
It's time for a change!
The Equal Pay Coalition NYC (EPCNYC), coordinated by NYWA, is a collective of civic organizations, advocates and experts working together for Pay Equity in New York. Participants include: A Better Balance, AAUW -Manhattan Branch, AAUW -NYC Branch, CUNY -Howard Samuels Center. Junior League of the City of New York, League of Professional Theatre Women - NY, NAFE, National Organization of Italian American Women, NAWBO, NY Coalition of 100 Black Women, NYC Coalition of Professional Women in the Arts and Media, NYSPEC-a project of Women on the Job Taskforce, NOW-NYC, NWYA, Roundtable of Food Professionals-NYC, WIDNY, Women in Health Management, Women's Center for Education and Career Advancement, Author Ellen Bravo, and Debra Condren, author and founder of the Women's Business Alliance.
Press Contact: Rachelle Pachtman, Pachtman Communitcations:
212-996-1715 - 646-287-2952
New York Women's Agenda • NYWA • 212.937.2411 • www.nywa.org •info@nywa.org
Gov't Affairs Co-chairs: Joan D. Firestone jdf248@aol.com & Beverly Neufeld bneufeld@optonline.net