Title
To proclaim the day of April 24, 2007 EQUAL PAY DAY in the City of Columbus.
Body
WHEREAS, forty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, women and people of color continue to suffer the consequences of inequitable pay differentials; and
WHEREAS, according to statistics released in 2006 by the U.S. Census Bureau, year round, full time working women in 2005 earned only 77% of the earnings of year round, full time working men, indicating little change or progress in pay equity; and
WHEREAS, according to a January, 2002 report released by the General Accounting Office (the investigative arm of Congress), women managers in 7 of 10 industries surveyed, actually lost ground in closing the wage gap between 1995 and 2000; and
WHEREAS, according to an analysis of data in over 300 classifications provided by the U. S. Department of Labor Statistics in 2001, women earn less in every occupational classification for which enough data is available, including occupations dominated by women (e.g., cashiers, retail sales, registered nurse and teachers); and
WHEREAS, higher education is not free from wage discrimination according to a U.S. Department of Education analysis, reporting that, after controlling for rank, age credentials, field of study and other factors, full time female faculty members earn nearly 9% less than their male counterparts; and
WHEREAS, over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average American woman and her family an estimated $523,000 in lost wages, impacting Social Security benefits and pensions; and
WHEREAS, fair pay equity policies can be implemented simply and without undue costs or hardship in both the public and private sectors; and
WHEREAS, fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs, while enhancing the American economy; and
WHEREAS, Tuesday, April 24th symbolizes the security of families today and eases future retirement costs, while enhancing the American economy; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That we do hereby designate the day April 24th, 2007 EQUAL PAY DAY in the City of Columbus and urge the citizens of Columbus to recognize the full value of women's skills and significant contributions to the labor force, and further encourages businesses to conduct an internal pay evaluation to ensure women are being paid fairly.