Wolfe Declares Tuesday, April 8, 2014 Equal Pay Day

New City, NY  (April 2, 2014) – Rockland County Legislature Chairman Alden H. Wolfe presented the local chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) with a proclamation declaring April 8th as “Equal Pay Day” in Rockland County, which recognizes the symbolic date in 2014 when women’s salaries catch up to the salaries men earned by the end of 2013.  Ms. Ann Mulligan, Chairwoman of AAUW’s Public Policy Committee accepted the proclamation on behalf of the chapter.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963, signed into law by President John F. Kennedy, prohibits pay discrimination based on sex and states that men and women, working in the same establishment, must be paid equally for equivalent work.  However, the National Partnership for Women and Families reports that a wage gap still exists and results in a total loss of income for women and minorities of over $23 million in New York State, alone and a study conducted by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) reports that college-educated women working full time over the course of a lifetime earn about $1.2 million less than their male counterparts.  The AAUW supports the passage of legislation that has been proposed in New York State and in Congress to advance equal pay by closing existing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act that allow employers to fire or reprimand employees who share wage information and by increasing damages in successful claims.

“It is important that we join with the AAUW in recognizing the significance of this day,” said Chairman Wolfe. “It is alarming that more than 50 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women and minorities continue to suffer the consequences of unequal pay when performing the same job as their male counterparts.  The Women’s Equality Act, proposed in New York and the Federal Paycheck Fairness Act, proposed in Congress recognize the valuable job and leadership skills that women bring to the workplace.”