Leonardtown, MD – In the fifty-four years since the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women and people of color continue to suffer the consequences of inequitable pay differentials. In an effort to further strengthened laws for gender equality, the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. In an effort to focus on past and continuing disparities in pay, the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County proclaimed April 4 Equal Pay Day to call for equitable pay for all workers.
Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, full-time, working women in 2014 earned only 79 percent of the earnings of full-time, working men. Over the course of a working lifetime, this wage disparity impacts Social Security benefits and pensions.
“Fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs, while enhancing the American economy and fair pay equity can be implemented simply and without undue costs or hardship in both the public and private sectors,” said Commissioner Todd Morgan(4th District).
Equal Pay Day was started in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages.
Commissioners urge citizens and members of the community to recognize the full value of women’s skills and their significant contributions to the labor force