2013 -- S 0852

=======

LC02344

=======

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

____________

S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N

PROCLAIMING APRIL 9, 2013, AS "EQUAL PAY DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE

ISLAND

     

     

     Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Paiva Weed, Goodwin, Gallo, and Lynch

     Date Introduced: April 09, 2013

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

1-1

     WHEREAS, Forty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil

1-2

Rights Act, women and people of color continue to suffer the consequences of inequitable pay

1-3

differentials; and

1-4

     WHEREAS, According to statistics released in 2012 by the United States Census Bureau,

1-5

year-round, full-time working women in 2011 earned only 77 percent of the earnings of year-

1-6

round, full-time working men, indicating little change or progress in pay equity; and 

1-7

     WHEREAS, According to a January 2002 report released by the General Accounting

1-8

Office, women managers in 7 of 10 industries surveyed actually lost ground in closing the wage

1-9

gap between 1995 and 2000; and

1-10

     WHEREAS, According to an analysis of data in over 300 job classifications provided by

1-11

the United States Department of Labor Statistics in 2001, women earn less in every occupational

1-12

classification for which enough data are available, including occupations dominated by women;

1-13

and

1-14

     WHEREAS, Higher education is not free from wage discrimination. According to a

1-15

United States Department of Education analysis, after controlling for rank, age, credentials, field

1-16

of study, and other factors, full-time female faculty members earn nearly 9 percent less than their

1-17

male counterparts; and

1-18

     WHEREAS, Over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average American

1-19

woman and her family $700,000 to $2 million in lost wages, impacting Social Security benefits

1-20

and pensions; and

2-1

     WHEREAS, Fair pay equity policies can be implemented simply and without undue costs

2-2

or hardship in both the public and private sectors; and

2-3

     WHEREAS, Fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future

2-4

retirement costs, while enhancing the American economy; and

2-5

     WHEREAS, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, symbolizes the time in the new year in which the

2-6

wages paid to American women catch up to the wages paid to men from the previous year; now,

2-7

therefore be it

2-8

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of the State of Rhode Island and Providence

2-9

Plantations hereby proclaims Tuesday, April 9, 2013, as "Equal Pay Day" in the State of Rhode

2-10

Island; and be it further

2-11

     RESOLVED, That this Senate urges all Rhode Islanders to recognize the full value of

2-12

women's skills and significant contributions to the labor force, and further encourages businesses

2-13

to conduct an internal pay evaluation to ensure women are being paid fairly; and be it further

2-14

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

2-15

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Women’s Fund Chief Executive Officer

2-16

Marcia Cone.

     

=======

LC02344

=======

S0852