March 15th, National Equal Pay Day, is the symbolic date when all full-time working women’s wages equal the wages earned by all full-time working men in the prior year. Calculating based on 2020 data, that is 83 cents to a dollar nationally and 86 cents for New York. If the catastrophic loss of income due to an exodus of full-time working women from the workforce and a shift to part-time work caused by the pandemic were included, the date would be much later. 

New York has a chance now to get serious about addressing both historic wage inequality and current disruption in work for women. That is why we need to reach out to our legislative leaders! 

Send a Letter to Governor Hochul, Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie now! Ask them to support a new equal pay law and increased funding in the NYS Budget for universal child care and fair wages for care workers.