Assemblywoman Russell helps pass equal pay for equal work legislation

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, announced she helped pass a series of bills to ensure long-overdue pay equity for the women of New York State.

“New York State has been a leader in the fight to level the playing field for men and women, but unfortunately many women today still earn less than a man doing the same job,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “This disparity is unacceptable, and I won’t stop fighting until we achieve our goal of ensuring equality and justice for all.”

On average, women across the nation earn just 79 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Over a lifetime, this can add up to over $700,000 in lost wages. The wage gap is even higher for Native American women, who earn only 59 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

The Assembly’s legislation reflects a longstanding commitment to ending the wage gap and coincides with Equal Pay Day (April 12), marking how far into the year women must work, on average, to earn the same amount their male counterparts made during the previous year.

The Assembly’s measures would:

• Enact the New York State Fair Pay Act to address and enforce pay equity, including broadening equal pay protections to include equivalent jobs and ensuring that traditional female and minority jobs are not undervalued (A.6937);

• Implement a policy of equal pay for equal work for state and municipal employees (A.437-A) and;

• Direct the Civil Service Commission to study and address wage disparities among public employers (A.5008-A).

In addition, Assemblywoman Russell helped pass legislation directing the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Labor to compile reports on how many women were referred to or trained for jobs that have a higher earning potential, as well as a bill ensuring employees have the right to sue for compensation and enforce equal pay disparities (A.9755, A.9754).