On Equal Pay Day, Mind the Pay Gap

Recent headlines reveal what many of us already know -- Americans are witnessing the highest inflation rates seen in over 20 years. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food prices climbed nearly five percent in 2007, and as housing and energy costs skyrocket out of control, working families are getting squeezed. In these difficult times, we should also be reminded that women face even greater financial struggles when weathering this economic storm.

With the observance of Equal Pay Day on April 22, we mark how far into each year a woman must work to earn as much as a man did in the previous year. Recent wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not give cause for celebration. In 2007, women earned only 80 cents for every dollar a man earned. This pay gap was substantially greater for minorities, with African-American women making only 70 cents and Hispanic women making only 62 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. While women are more reluctant to negotiate salaries and are often employed in underpaid professions, one grim reality remains -- gender-based discrimination still inherent in our society has largely caused the pay gap that persists today.

The Senate is preparing to debate and vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, an important bill that will help reduce the incentives for employers to knowingly underpay their employees and strengthen the ability of workers to pursue redress. This will be an important first step in addressing chronic discrimination.

Employee Free Choice Act

Although women can't always rely on their employer to give them equal pay for an equal day's work, they can count on union representation to help close the gap. That's a dirty little secret most employers don't want their workers to know -- just ask educators at the Ithaca City School District in Ithaca, N.Y. In 2002, hundreds of teaching assistants and teacher aides, 90 percent of them female, had a starting pay of only $6.72 an hour. Putting pressure on the school district to end these poverty wages, the educators organized a union and bargained a contract, receiving a 50 percent raise in starting salary to $10.05 an hour. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' most recent data indicates that when women are members of unions, they make the same pay as men who are not, a clear indication of the benefits unions can provide in helping improve the financial security of women.

At a time when union membership presents us with a chance to narrow the wage gap and move toward greater equality, passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is vital. Set to be reintroduced in Congress next year, the bill will give workers a more direct path to freely and fairly form a union if they so choose. Since employers often resist organizing campaigns with illegal tactics used to intimidate and scare workers, this legislation will also hold anti-union employers accountable for violating federal labor laws through tougher penalties and greater enforcement.

Women stand to gain

The wages of many working women have already improved thanks to union membership, but even more women stand to gain ground if this proposal is passed. For example, in the retail food industry union members earn 31 percent more than non-union employees. Overall, the employer contribution to health insurance premiums and pension coverage is more than twice as high for union members as for non-union members. By breaking down the barriers workers face when attempting to join a union, the ability of women to reach the American dream through fair and equitable compensation will be heightened. That is why many of the same organizations working on the Ledbetter Act are also supporting passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.

Challenge to lawmakers

That is, if lawmakers next year have the conviction to pass the legislation. While the Employee Free Choice Act overwhelmingly passed the House this session, the Republican leadership killed the bipartisan version of the bill in the Senate. Members of Congress will soon have the opportunity to hear from Americans wanting their elected leaders to take another step toward income parity through passage of this legislation. As the cost of rent, gas, health care and other necessities continues to rise, women who often are the sole breadwinners for their families can't afford another stalemate of this critical bill in Congress next year.

Originally posted on "Real Women Back Story"

Comments

[HaltCruelty]

Like Senator McCain, you are all missing the point of the Liily Ledbetter Act. The bill addresses the situation in which a woman possesses the same education and skill level, does the same level of work as her male counterpart, yet she is paid less. The gender gap in pay is not adequately explained by differences in education, experience, skill, or child-rearing issues. Gender discrimination exists. Unfortunately, this situation still occurs in the 21st century.
Equal pay is especially important since there are so many women raising children as single parents. Raising the pay of women to male-equivalent levels will raise the standard of living for many children.
Unions can support equal pay by monitoring the mechanisms of hidden discrimination, such as the practice of assigning higher ranking job titles to male workers than their female counterparts for the same level of work. Unions can support a standard job classification scheme for all. Unions can also support standard wage levels for each job class, thus reducing secretive salary deals that allow for salary discrimination.

[Rocket80]

Here's a theory: I have a hunch women (in general) tend to be less prone to asking for, and demanding, raises when they are deserved. Women tend to be more 'loyal' to their employers and less likely to leave due to unfair compensation or unsatisfactory working conditions. Men are far more likely to be challenging and demanding regarding their pay, and are far more likely to take the risk and get another job when their demands aren't met. I suppose men are willing to 'risk' an okay job for a better one, whereas women are more cautious and tend to 'play it safe' and feel an obligation to stay at a company.

Maybe this is politically incorrect or whatever - but when I tell some of my female friends this idea the lightbulb goes off in their head and they realize it is true.

[dchavern]

The so-called "Employee Free Choice Act" is wildly unpopular with the general public -- and with good reason. The "more direct path" to union organizing you refer to involves elimination of a worker's right to a secret ballot election. Instead, workers would be forced to publicly sign-up or reject unionization -- in clear view of their coworkers and union organizers. It's a "more direct path" alright, because everybody knows where you live if you don't want to go along for the ride!

Unions lose most secret ballot elections -- so why is the right response to move the "election" out to the parking lot?? If unions want more members, they should leave the election process alone and, instead, make a more compelling case that the long-term benefits they provide to workers exceed the dues those workers have to pay.

[dadw5boys]

EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK???
I WANT EQUAL WORK FOR EQUAL PAY!

When I take risk my job is always on the line. Anything that goes wrong with my decisions can make or break the company and I am out the door fast if the plan fails. Problem is we don't work in a vaccum so time for planning is never enough and going into action with my zipper down and shoes untied happens 99% of the time.

Want my equal pay then take the same equal risk! Risk you job, retirement plan, insurance plan, 401k, risk it all that you can do a good job and come up with the right decisions most of the time and correct the bad decision before too much damage is done.
You can't trust those around you because they want your job so learning of problems with your decision must be done on your own thru step by step evaluation of the process constantly. Even with the wifes screaming " YOUR NEVER HOME ALWAYS WORKING" while she max's out the credit card again. Thank God I can pay it this time. The kids who need everything or their lives are over. They need everything except you never hear " DAD I JUST NEED YOU". They all want what comes from the hard work but hate the hard work that I love.

[apoyo]

I didn't even know equal pay day existed. I am so tired of these feminists.
I have always earned more than my husband and he has 2 degrees to my one.

It all depends on what career choices you make. Life is not fair. Life is what you choose to make it.
My career choice has not only given me job security but the option to work part-time while I raised my kids and still pay the bills.

I have told my daughters to choose a career that will give them satisfaction. Pay is not the main criteria.
My girls, 17 and 23, see men as their equals and not as someone who may cheat them out of pay in the workplace.

[Robert59]

My exact thoughts. It's about career choices and because more women are going into the jobs traditionally held by males and many men are getting off the hamster wheel and taking lower paying and less stressul jobs it won't be long before women earn on average more than men.

Most of us are two income families, but few of us live in families where the wage earners receive equal compensation. My great salary allows my wife more choices. She can work but choose a job she loves (school secretary with low pay but a great environment) or be forced to take one she grew to hate (floor nurse working the grave shift).

Pay shouldn't be the main criteria, but money can be very liberating. Not only does it give you more freedom of choice it alleviates worry (car repairs, illness). The trick is to find something you love that pays well.

Which is why we have golf (or any other hobby).