13-R201

2013 -- S 0852

Enacted 04/09/13

 

 

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

 

 

     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 2012 by the United States Census Bureau,

year-round, full-time working women in 2011 earned only 77 percent 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, 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 job classifications provided by

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

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

and

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

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

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

male counterparts; and

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

woman and her family $700,000 to $2 million 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 9, 2013, symbolizes the time in the new year in which the

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

therefore be it

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

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

Island; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate urges all Rhode Islanders 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; and be it further

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

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

Marcia Cone.

     

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LC02344

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