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. rwiTzmiter:7- EH yin) 'now ni"3 L AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM MAGEN IAD 7 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 81