ADOPTED - APRIL 15, 2008

Agenda Item No. 12

Introduced by the County Services Committee of the:

INGHAM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING APRIL 22, 2008 “EQUAL PAY DAY”

IN INGHAM COUNTY

RESOLUTION #08-099

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 2007 by the U.S. Census Bureau, year-round, full-time working women in 2006 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 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, 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 22 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.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Board of Commissioners hereby proclaims April 22, 2008 “Equal Pay Day” in Ingham County and urges the citizens of Ingham County 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.

COUNTY SERVICES:  Yeas:  Nolan, De Leon, Copedge, Soule, Grebner, Severino

Nays:  None            Absent:  None      Approved 4/8/09