New York, NY — This Equal Pay Day, New Yorkers rallied together in red to declare #TimesUp!
PowHerNY joined forces with NYS Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, NYC Public Advocate Letitia James, NYC Commission on Gender Equity, Jacqueline Ebanks, broadcaster Catt Sadler, NYC Council Women’s Caucus co-chair Council Member Carlina Rivera, CWA 1180 President Gloria Middleton, and activists to say #TimesUp for economic inequality on the steps of City Hall for the 12th annual NYC Equal Pay Day.
Speakers called for government, business and individuals to act boldly and build on the momentum of the #TimesUp movement to eradicate the wage and opportunity gap. Recognizing that a multi-pronged approach is essential to achieve pay parity, the PowHerNY Network of over 100 organizations called for imperative action to:
- Pass a salary history ban statewide
- Institute the One Fair Wage Campaign for tipped workers
- Increase wage data transparency for municipal workers and contractors
- Address wage parity for child care workers
- Ensure reproductive rights
- Institute strong sexual harassment policies
Attendees wore red because women are still “in the red,” and in recognition of the urgency to push for economic justice through stronger laws, fairer wages, better jobs, and more inclusive, safer workplaces.
Over the past few years, New York has made strides towards furthering gender equality and women’s rights through meaningful legislative action. Most notably, the passage of the 2015 NYS Equal Pay Law and Women’s Equality Act, the historic NYS Paid Family Leave Act, and the NYC Salary History Ban, which all help to level the “paying” field. While New York has the smallest overall wage gap, of 89.6 cents, women of color continue to experience considerably larger pay disparities. Asian Women earn an average of 82 cents, African-American women earn 66 cents, and Hispanic women earn 56 cents for every dollar paid to full-time working white men. Wage inequality affects women across race, at all levels of the financial spectrum, in all fields, and at all levels of education. If we continue on our current course, New York state may not close the wage gap until 2046
PowHerNY Partners participating in today’s annual event are: A Better Balance, AAUW New York State, Citizen Action of NY, Citizens’ Committee for Children of NYC, Coalition of 100 Black Women NYC, CWA Local 1180, Girls for Gender Equity, Greater New York Labor Religion Coalition, League of Professional Theatre Women, National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs-NYC, New York Coalition of 100 Black Women, New York Paid Leave Coalition, ROC NY, United Neighborhood Houses, USNC-UN Women Metro NY Chapter, Women’s Center for Education and Career Advancement, Women’s City Club of New York, Women’s March Alliance, Zonta Club of Brooklyn, among others.
PowHer New York (PowHerNY) is a network of individuals and organizations collaborating to accelerate economic fairness for New York women. PowHerNY has worked for over a decade to close the wage and opportunity gap through its signature Equal Pay Campaign women and their families.
Quotes from Attendees:
“New York is the birthplace of the women’s rights movement and has a long history of prioritizing gender equity,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “But women, especially in our minority communities, continue to face inequality. The wage gap is a glaring and shameful example. That’s why Governor Cuomo has championed measures to eliminate pay discrimination and why I’m proud to stand with organizations like PowHer to highlight this injustice. Although New York leads the nation in terms of equal pay, the gap still exists. This is unacceptable and New York will not rest until women achieve full equality.”
“In New York City, we are no longer asking for equal pay, we are demanding it,” said Public Advocate Letitia James. “From banning salary history to implementing paid leave, New York City has become a leader in the fight for gender pay equity, but there is still much work to do to ensure that women are being compensated based on merit, not gender. Millions of women across the country are saying times up – we won’t be denied the fair pay and rights we have long deserved.”
“Our country has reached a pivotal moment for women’s rights. The #TimesUp movement has pushed us forward during a wave of federal rollbacks. Now is the time for New Yorkers to lead with bold action. Together, we challenge businesses to conduct pay audits, adjust unfair wages, and hire women in non-traditional roles. We urge our elected officials to pass a salary history ban statewide and One Fair Wage, to ensure every woman receives a fair opportunity to earn fair pay. But to eliminate the wage gap, members of the NYS Senate and Assembly must also secure child care, reproductive rights, and strong sexual harassment policies. This Equal Pay Day we are asking all New Yorkers to speak up and fight for the equality of all workers,” said Beverly Neufeld, President, PowHer New York.
“The Commission on Gender Equity is fiercely committed to closing the gender pay equity in New York City. Without pay equity, economic security and well-being remains out of reach for far too many women in our society. This is unacceptable!” said Jacqueline Ebanks, Executive Director, NYC Commission on Gender Equity.
“Equal pay is very simple. It’s about what is right and fair. Too many experienced, educated, valuable and hardworking women aren’t being compensated fairly. There’s no reason why any woman should be paid less because of gender,” said Catt Sadler, Broadcaster and Entrepreneur.
“No woman should ever have to question her value or qualifications based on how much she earns compared to her male peers,” said Council Member Margaret S. Chin, Co-chair of the NYC Council Women’s Caucus. “In order to make pay inequity a thing of the past, we need everyone to be an active part of the solution. I’m proud to stand today with my Council colleagues, advocates and allies to send the message that we will continue to fight to break the barriers that hold women back and ensure that all women – including women of color – have a real opportunity to succeed and thrive.”
“It is still unconscionable that in 2018 we are still having a conversation about equal pay for all women,” said Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Co-chair of the NYC Council Women’s Caucus. “Inequalities in the way women are paid means that there are inequities in the ways people support their families. We rally today and every day to end this unjust and outdated practice.”
“In 2018, in the wealthiest country in the world, we are plagued by wage disparities. Even after all the progress we have made, women working full time in the United States are typically paid just 80 percent of what men earn, a crushing gap of 20 percent. At the rate we are going, it is going to take decades for women to reach pay equity with men. And in New York City, Hispanic, Black, and Asian women experience even more severe wage gaps relative to white men. This is unacceptable and a betrayal of this country’s core ideal of fairness. That’s why I will take every opportunity possible to push the City Council to pass legislation that will help close our wage and opportunity gaps once and for all,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Chair of the Committee on Women.
“It is unconscionable that in 2018, women have to work more than 15 months to earn what men earn in a year,” said Council Member Debi Rose. “Over a lifetime, the total estimated loss of earnings of women can easily add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. While I am proud to say that New York City is leading the fight for gender pay equality, more work is needed to ensure that women receive the dignity and remuneration in the workplace they deserve. I thank my colleagues for coming together on Equal Pay Day to shed light on this issue and continue the fight for fairer wages and more inclusive workplaces.
“On average, women are paid 89 cents for every dollar earned by a male counterpart. For women of color, this disparity is even greater. The wage gap isn’t just demeaning to women, but negatively impacts hard working families and further exacerbates income inequality. It is time for all women – and all people – to be paid equally and fairly. I thank our Women’s Caucus co-Chairs Council Members Margaret Chin and Carlina Rivera for leading the charge on this issue within the Council and thank all of my colleagues at the local, state, and federal level for their continued leadership and support. Equal pay is a right, not a privilege, and I hope that we will soon see real and meaningful equality in the workplace,” said Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson.
“If a man and a woman are doing the same job, they should be making the same wage,” said Council Member Karen Koslowitz.
“Local 1180 is still trying to reach an agreement with the Mayor’s office that we hope will now bring our EEO case to a resolution once and for all. With a tentative agreement, the City of New York has recognized that there has been a long-standing pay disparity for women and women of color in the title of Administrative Manager. We will not stop our fight until we reach pay equity for our members. We are proud to play a large part in the #TimesUp movement that declares economic equality for all,” said CWA Local 1180 President Gloria Middleton.
“In the media and entertainment industry where our members work, involving some of the most visible jobs on camera and behind a microphone, to all the critical work done by our sister unions in New York City, we must hold employers accountable. Everyone deserves to be paid based on their skills and qualifications, not their gender. We support all efforts that foster change, raise awareness, and seek to bring about true wage equality,” said Rebecca Damon, SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President and New York Local President.
A Better Balance applauds the progress that the state and city have made in beginning to address some of the root causes of gender based wage inequities by passing paid family leave, giving more support to working caregivers, prohibiting use of salary history, allowing sharing of salary information and addressing issues of sexual harassment. We look forward to working on further changes to finally secure fair wages for all working women, “ said Dina Bakst and Sherry Leiwant, Co-Presidents, A Better Balance
“The American Association of University Women of New York State is at the forefront of promoting equity and education for women and girls. We are at a moment when women are galvanized to fight for equality – and society is listening. We are passing new local and state policies, strengthening federal laws, and helping to change business and institutional policies. AAUW-NYS calls on the NYS legislature to pass a ban on using salary history during the hiring process to help eliminate the compounding effects of pay discrimination. AAUW-NYS is also pleased to share that we are taking the fight for fair pay to the individual level. While you can’t negotiate around discrimination, we are empowering women to effectively understand their market worth and giving them the tools and confidence to negotiate for it. Nationally, AAUW has committed to train 10 million women to negotiate their financial futures by 2022 through AAUW’s Work Smart program. Can you imagine what that will mean? We all need to grasp this moment to act: leaders, teachers, business people, we all have a chance to make a difference and we can bring pay equality to all women, said Jane Pendergast, AAUW NYS College/University Partner Director
“This year, CCC marks Equal Pay Day by underscoring the critical need for action to address the salary inequities plaguing our city’s early education workforce, the vast majority of whom are women of color. New York City’s early childhood education system is currently bifurcated such that a teacher in a community-based program with the same credentials, doing the same job for more hours, can make as much as 30,000 less than her peers in DOE public schools; and this gap grows over time. As we stand with PowHER in our collective fight to end income inequality and lift New Yorkers out of poverty, we must ensure that the committed professionals educating and nurturing our youngest New Yorkers are receiving equal pay for equal work,” said Jennifer March, Executive Director, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York (CCC)
“Paid Family Leave is an essential part of the toolkit to help resolve the gender pay gap affecting women across the state as well as the economy as a whole. New York’s recent Jan 1st start date of a statewide Paid Family Leave law enables millions of New Yorker’s, both men and women, to have the time they need to bond with a new child, care for a seriously ill or injured family member, or to attend to matters related to a family member’s military service abroad. Policies like this help boost workforce participation among new parents and provide greater financial stability during critical moments in life.” said Donna Dolan, Executive Director of the New York Paid Leave Coalition
“United Neighborhood Houses is proud to be a part of Equal Pay Day” said Gregory Brender Co-Director of Policy and Advocacy at United Neighborhood Houses. “New York City’s federation of settlement houses and community centers “We look forward to working with community leaders and policymakers to make equal pay a reality. In particular, we highlight the struggle of the educators, staff and directors in community based early childhood programs. This workforce is overwhelmingly female and is grossly underpaid earning salaries far less than their counterparts in public schools. This disparity must be addressed.”
In all countries, women get paid less than men, work fewer hours than men in paid employment, while performing the vast majority of unpaid care and domestic work. Failure to support the care economy reinforces the gender pay gap by undervaluing women’s jobs and entrenching women in low paid work; and by limiting women’s paid work opportunities, through a lack of affordable care services. It is important that the PowHer NY network uses a comprehensive approach in addressing the gender pay gap,” Mary Luke, President, USNC-UN Women Metro NY Chapter.
“We must all work together to create a culture of fairness, respect, and equity in the workplace,” said Carole Wacey, CEO of Women’s City Club of New York. “The imbalance of pay between women (especially women of color) and men in 2018 is simply unacceptable. Today, we stand up and speak out so that both the public and private sectors recognize the shared responsibility we all have to achieve pay parity,”
###