spotlight
Equal Pay Day
NCJW brings wage gap into focus
for members.
I
Karen Schultz Tarnopol
Contributing Writer
A
ccording to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, women
are paid a mere 77 cents for every dollar men are
paid nationally, with Michigan coming in under
the national average at 74 cents. Let that sink in.
Economist Evelyn Murphy, president and founder of The
WAGE (Women Are Getting Even) Project, estimates that
the wage gap costs the average American full-time woman
worker between $700,000 and $2 million over the course of
her lifetime.
In an attempt to cure the wage gap, Equal Pay Day was
originated in Michigan by the Pay Equity Network. In 1996,
it was adopted by the National Committee on Pay Equity
(NCPE) and is now celebrated as a national day of recogni-
tion.
Equal Pay Day is on April 9 and, with that in mind, the
National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW)-Greater Detroit
Section recently hosted a discussion as part of its Assault
on Women's Rights Series. Mary Pollock, legislative vice
president and PAC administrator for the Michigan National
Organization for Women, educated community mem-
bers about the significant pay differential that still exists
between men and women.
According to Pollock, the intention behind Equal Pay
Day "is to illustrate the gap between men's wages and
women's wages that persists. Women earn less on average
than men, and they must work longer for the same amount
of pay:'
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay
Act of 1963. In that year, women earned 59 cents for every
dollar men earned.
"The Act was actually passed before the general civil
rights law prohibiting employment discrimination. Labor
unions finally backed it because women were undercutting
the wages of men:' Pollock explained.
Historically, the wage gap for full-time year-round work-
ers has narrowed only by 1 percentage point over the past
decade. The previous decade showed a 4 percentage point
decrease, while the decade prior
to that had a 10 percentage point
reduction. "At this rate of change,
it will take until 2056 to reach pay
equity," Pollock said.
Causes Of Wage Gap
According to Pollock, these are
major reasons the wage gap exists:
• The wage gap exists in 107 out of
111 of the most popular occupations
in the United States, regardless of levels of education.
• Women are concentrated in lower-paying jobs, making
less than $10.10 per hour, and they are the majority in the
10 largest occupations that pay less than $10.10 per hour.
• Women are not making more than men in the 10 most
common occupations for women — men actually do better
than women in female-dominated occupations as well.
"Some of this has to do with attachment to the workforce
issues — men don't pay a parenting penalty like women
do," Pollock said. "That's one of the things we need to
change; better policies that take into account two working
parents, in most cases:'
One potential solution to the problem, Pollock explains,
is to get more women in the higher-paying STEM (sci-
ence, technology, engineering and math) professions.
"Companies need to compete, and they can do this by
expanding their recruiting base to include more women:'
Additionally, employers are offering men and women dif-
ferent salaries upon graduation. "We need to tell our young
people they need to negotiate their wages better and tell
employers to cut it out; it's illegal:' Pollock said.
Moving forward, four pay equity bills will be reintro-
duced into the state legislature, including one that amends
the Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act to make it clear that sex-
based discrimination is illegal under Michigan law. The
Motor City Connection
D
etroit-area residents have always been uniquely
generous in supporting Magen David Adorn (MDA),
Israel's national emergency response, ambulance and
blood services organization. Through the Dr. John J. Mames-
Michigan chapter of American Friends of MDA (AFMDA),
local donors have contributed more than $30 million and
sponsored more than 175 lifesaving ambulances since 1967.
But they probably never imagined their latest ambulance
would get "presidential" treatment.
But that's exactly what happened when Mobile Intensive
Care Unit #12 was assigned to the elite medical and security
motorcade accompanying President Barack Obama through-
out last week's historic trip to Israel.
MICU12 was dedicated in honor of the late Eva and Dr.
John J. Mames, the founders and namesakes of the local chap-
ter that supports MDA, an organization that receives no fund-
ing from the Israeli government and relies on donors from
Sharon Lipton, NCJW State Policy Advocate co-chair; Suzanne Simon, NCJW
president; Irma Glaser, NCJW; Mary Pollock, Michigan National Organization
for Women; and Cathy Cantor, NCJW State Policy Advocate co-chair
three additional bills focus on setting up a pay equity study
commission to provide technical assistance, transparency
in pay for similar jobs and increased penalties for wage dis-
crimination based on gender.
The NCJW is well known for its mission to improve the
quality of life for women, children and families, while safe-
guarding their individual rights and freedoms and striving
for social justice.
Irma Glaser, past NCJW-Greater Detroit Section presi-
dent, encourages both men and women to join them on
Equal Pay Day, April 9, in Lansing to lobby legislators for
meaningful legislation with respect to pay equity.
"Our concerns need to be heard:' she said. "It's a matter
of what is right:'
With significantly more working women, many as heads
of their household, the wage gap has affected a growing
number of families. "It's time that we have a new rally at the
Capitol:' Pollock said.
Many of the attendees of Equal Pay Day wear red to sym-
bolize that women are "in the red" when it comes to wages.
Cookies also are given out to legislators and the press with
a bite taken out of them —another way to get the point
across that women aren't getting the whole dollar.
For more information about NCJW and joining members
in Lansing for Equal Pay Day, call (248) 355-3300 or visit
www.ncjwgds.org. Register by April 2.
❑
Ambulance donated by Detroit's Local AFMDA chapter
part of President Obama's motorcade in Israel.
around the world.
This particular ambulance had a very familiar "Detroit"
feel to it. Eva and Dr. Mames made Detroit their home after
escaping the Holocaust. The United States — and Detroit,
precisely — offered them a safe refuge and a second chance
at life.
Manny Charach, the chapter's chairman, says he is honored
to have Detroit and the chapter connected with the historic
trip.
"We're truly proud to have all done this together; Charach
says. "Not only has our greater-Detroit Jewish community
sponsored more than 175 ambulances to save lives in Israel,
but now our latest served an American president. It's a testa-
ment to the strength and commitment of our community to
the people of Israel"
❑
See related stories on pages 3 and 45-47.
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MICU12 at its Fall 2012 dedication before deploy-
ment to Israel: Arnold Gerson, AFMDA CEO, Manny
Charach, chairman of the Dr. John J. Mames Chapter-
Michigan Region, Can Immerman, AFMDA director for
OH-KY-MI-W.PA, Andrea (Mames) Rosenblum, Sydney
Rosenblum, Craig Rosenblum and Dr. Robert Mames.
March 28 • 2013
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