Equal Pay Day 2019
Governor Gretchen Whitmer declares April 2, 2019
Equal Pay Day in Michigan
“Equal pay is not only a women’s issue. This is an economic issue that is hurting hardworking families in our state,” said Whitmer. “When we ensure all women in Michigan can earn the same amount as their male counterparts for doing the same job, we can help hardworking families get ahead, grow our economy, and attract the business and talent we need to compete.”
According to the National Partnership for Women & Families, women in Michigan’s workforce make 78 cents for every dollar that men make for doing the same job. African American women make 63 cents for every dollar, Latinas make 54 cents and Asian women make 87 cents.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GovGretchenWhitmer/posts/3107910792556200
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BvwfsFjg8tm/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GovWhitmer/status/1113096013152219136
- For more information, see our AAUW SH Equal Pay Day Page
AAUW Advocates for Equal Pay
Several local AAUW members traveled to Lansing on May 22, 2019 to advocate for equal pay. The Michigan legislature was not in session on the National Equal Pay Day held in April. A Michigan Equal Pay Lobby Day was established in its stead. The speakers were inspiring and knowledgeable. Governor Whitmer spoke about her commitment to equal pay and the Executive Directive she issued on January 8 addressing salary history. Members made a visit to Senator Aric Nesbitt’s office , and shared data with his legislative aide that reflects disparities in pay in his district . Local attendees Sandy Olsen, Lois Schwartz, Vicki Purcell, Representative Donna Lasinski, Julia Ludwig and Kathy Dascenzo are pictured from left to right.
AAUW Applauds Paycheck Fairness Act Introduction in Congress
The Paycheck Fairness Act is sponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). The bill is bipartisan in the House of Representatives and co-sponsored by every Democrat in both the House and Senate. (A version of the bill was first introduced in 1997.) The Paycheck Fairness Act is also an important complement to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which ensures that ongoing pay discrimination at work can be challenged regardless of when the discrimination began. That act was signed into law 10 years ago on January 29, 2009.
Fact Sheet: The Paycheck Fairness Act of 2019
“The Paycheck Fairness Act is essential to eradicating practices that have perpetuated the pay gap for far too long. In 2019, the idea that we still don’t have equal pay for equal work is nothing short of outrageous.AAUW urges the 116th Congress to take this important step towards pay equity with the swift passage of the bill.”
— Kim Churches, CEO, American Association of University Women
A Q&A with Lilly Ledbetter, Fierce Champion of Equal Pay
As one of the first women hired as a manager at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in 1979, Lilly Ledbetter showed leadership potential from the start. When she found out after many years on the job that she was earning substantially less than her male colleagues, she challenged her employer in federal court.
Victory For Equal Pay
Closing the gender wage gap will take work on many fronts, but one key tool is having more information about salaries. Removing the shroud of secrecy about who earns what is a critical step towards ensuring equal pay for equal work.
Simple Truth
The gender pay gap is the gap between what men and women are paid. Most commonly, it refers to the median annual pay of all women who work full time and year-round, compared to the pay of a similar cohort of men. Other estimates of the gender pay gap are based on weekly or hourly earnings, or are specific to a particular group of women.
U.S. Cities Reveal a Wide Range of Gender and Racial Pay Gaps
The gender pay gap is a real and consistent problem, which is all too apparent when we examine the data on the earnings of men and women. No matter how you break down the numbers—by state, by age, by education, or by occupation—the gap is substantial. And cities are not immune to this problem, as our new analysis shows.
AAUW has analyzed the pay gap faced by women of different races and ethnicities in 25 of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas. The analysis revealed that there is a substantial gender pay gap in all 25 cities, with even larger gaps for black and Hispanic women.
Equal Pay Day 2017
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- At the Capital for the Rally
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- Equal Pay Day Rally
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- Equal Pay day Lansing
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- Equal Pay Day Rally
Thank you to our SH AAUW Board for its support of Michigan’s Equal Pay Day in Lansing. Traveling together in the van, ably driven by Dennis Dascenzo, contributed to our sense of purpose, our well-being, and our ability to marshal our energies toward the subject at hand without worrying about driving or parking. Certainly, at the end of the day, as we emerged from the Capitol building, it was a relief to see that vehicle waiting for us at the curb. We left South Haven promptly at 6:15 a.m. and arrived in Lansing at about 8:00, in time for our meetings with legislators. To Read Lois’s report of the day click here
This year the Equal Pay Day Coalition led by Michigan AAUW reserved the Capitol Steps in Lansing for National Equal Pay Day on April 25 to rally supporters of pay equity legislation. President Lois Schwartz applied to AAUWMI for a mini-grant to help members attend the rally.
This year, your SH AAUW Board is invited all of us to take the trip to Lansing and make our voices heard. Many of us are no longer receiving paychecks, but that doesn’t mean we are abandoning our daughters and granddaughters. We want to do all we can to help build a more equitable world for them. Remember when you may have taken time out from your career to give birth and take care of your young children before returning to the work force? Remember how you felt knowing that the men in the same line of work were able to attain their retirement and pensions well before you did? Pensions are no longer a given – and while women have more fields open to them than our generation did, they have numerous barriers to still overcome.
Equal Pay Day 2016
Jan Blaising, Lois Schwartz, Kathy Dascenzo, Jo Muszkiewicz and Jackie McAninich attended the Equal Pay Day Rally in Lansing on April 12th. Our members attended an information session at which Marcia Hovey-Wright talked about the twelve bills addressing the pay gap that are waiting for a hearing in the Legislature. They also met with Aric Nesbitt and Mary Whiteford to discuss AAUW’s position on the importance of supporting Equal Pay legislation.
