Bill Text: MI HR0052 | 2011-2012 | 96th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A resolution to declare April 12, 2011, as Pay Equity Day in the state of Michigan.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-24 - Referred To Committee On Commerce [HR0052 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2011-HR0052-Introduced.html
Reps. Oakes, Brown, Dillon, LeBlanc, Liss and Slavens offered the following resolution:
House Resolution No. 52.
A resolution to declare April 12, 2011, as Pay Equity Day in the state of Michigan.
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 2009 by the U.S. Census Bureau, year-round, full-time working women in 2008 earned only 77% of the earnings of year-round full-time 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 nurses 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, According to statistics released in 2009 by the U.S. Census Bureau, for year-round, full-time workers of all educational levels in 2008, Michigan women earned only 72% of the earnings of their male counterparts, with Michigan ranking 43rd in the nation; looking at year-round, full-time college educated workers, Michigan women earned 74% of the earnings of their male counterparts, with Michigan ranking in that category at 15th in the nation; 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, April 12, 2011, 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 by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare April 12, 2011, as Pay Equity Day in the state of Michigan. We urge Michigan's citizens to recognize the full value of women’s skills and significant contributions to the labor force, and encourage businesses to conduct an internal pay evaluation to ensure women are being paid fairly.
