Equal Pay [Folder 2]

CENTER FOR NEWS POLICY ALTERNATIVES EMBARGOED FOR FURTHER INFORMATION FOR RELEASE FEB. 24th, 1999 Nora O'Connell (202) 956-5126 Women Earn Seventy-Four Cents for Every Dollar Men Earn States Take Action to Close the Pay Gap WASHINGTON - A new report released today commissioned by the AFL-CIO showing that women still earn 74 cents to every $1 earned by a man demonstrates the urgency of a new economic agenda for America that recognizes and realizes the economic power and potential of American women. "Closing the pay gap and offering equal benefits and pensions to women workers is vital to our nation's future economic health," said Linda Tarr-Whelan, President and CEO of the Center for Policy Alternatives, authors of AMERICA'S ECONOMIC AGENDA: WOMEN'S VOICES FOR SOLUTIONS. "Each year, women and their families lose a total of $200 billion due to unequal wages. We cannot afford to go into a new century with women continuing to trail in wages, pensions, and benefits and still hope to sustain the economic strength, growth, and opportunity we enjoy today. It will not happen," said Tarr-Whelan, who also serves as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. Many state leaders recognize the impact that this loss is having on their state economies and they are taking action to address it. Legislative proposals put forth to address this issue range from a New York bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Joan Christensen, that would amend the state constitution to make it a constitutional right to receive equal pay for comparable work; to a pair of bills introduced by Representative Lynne Martinez in Michigan that would make it illegal to discriminate based on gender or disability; to a Missouri bill sponsored by Representative Joan Bray that not only outlaws wage discrimination, but also requires data collection and reporting, and provides remedies for employees who are victims of wage discrimination. "Equal pay is an issue that impacts families -- 63% of women with children under age six are in the labor force, in full or part-time jobs, and 78% of women with children 6-17 are in the labor force," stated Tarr-Whelan. Equal pay is the first recommendation in the Center for Policy Alternatives' report, AMERICA'S ECONOMIC AGENDA: WOMEN'S VOICES FOR SOLUTIONS, which puts forth a 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 710 Washington, DC 20009 (202) 387-6030 FAX (202) 986-2539 e-mail: [email protected] - more -