Democrats Announce Support for Legislation to Bring Pay Equity to Michigan

Package of bills will punish wage discrimination, create pay equity board

State Representatives Pam Faris (D-Clio), Charles Smiley (D-Burton), Jim Ananich (D-Flint) and Woodrow Stanley (D-Flint) announced their support for legislation today to create pay equity in Michigan. Full-time working women in the state make 74 percent as much as their male counterparts, even less than the nationwide gap of 77 percent.

“I am happy to be a part of the Democratic Caucus’ efforts to ensure pay fairness in the workforce,” said Faris. “I look forward to the day when women receive equal pay for equal work. We’ve known since the days of Rosie the Riveter that women make important contributions in our workforce. This is 2013, not 1913.”

Smiley said, “It is an injustice that women in Michigan make 26 percent less than a man who performs the same job.”

April 9 is recognized as Pay Equity Day because it is the calendar date by which women catch up to their male counterparts in earnings from the previous year. Women’s groups around the nation use the occasion to highlight the issue of income inequality. Michigan House Democrats are marking the day by introducing a package of bills to bring pay equity to our state. The package includes legislation to:

• Prohibit an employer from failing to provide equal compensation for work of comparable value for several reasons, including sex

• Create penalties for employers who pay different wages to men and women who are “similarly situated” – employees with similar qualifications, experience, etc.

• Create a state commission on pay equity

• Require an employer to provide, at an employee’s request, wage information for “similarly situated employees”

“Putting more money in the pockets of people who work hard to earn it helps our economy and creates jobs,” said Ananich. “These measures are long overdue, and they will provide fairness and opportunities to working families in Genesee County and across Michigan.”

Stanley said, “Women make up half of the U.S. labor force. In order to grow our economy at the national, state and local levels, we need women participating on an even playing field. Equal pay for equal work is not only morally right, but it makes good business sense.”