Photo Courtesy of St. Mary’s County Public Information Office

Leonardtown, MD – Fifty-five years following the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women and people of color continue to suffer from inequitable pay differentials. While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 further strengthened laws for gender equality, certain racial and gender groups continue to lag behind. The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County lent their support to pay equality by proclaiming April 10 Equal Pay Day in the county.

First originated by the national Committee on Pay Equity in 1996, Equal Pay Day is a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages.

Statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau indicate, year-round, full-time, working women in 2015 earned only 81 percent of the earnings of year-round, full-time, working men. According to the Bureau, over 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,” said Commissioner President Randy Guy. “Fair pay equity can be implemented simply and without undue costs or hardship in both the public and private sectors.”

The commissioners Equal Pay Day proclamation urges citizens to recognize the full value of the skills of women and people of color as well as their significant contributions to the labor force.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement on Equal Pay Day:

“On Equal Pay Day, we mark the time it takes a woman, on average, to earn the same amount as a man for the same work if both had started on the first of January last year.  That women earn only $0.80 to every dollar a man earns, is not only insultingly unfair but harmful to millions of families across our economy that depend on women’s incomes to make ends meet. In addition, it is shameful that the wage gap among minority women is even worse. Democrats will continue to fight for equal pay for equal work, even while Republican policies in Congress and from this Administration are making it harder for all workers to earn a good living and get ahead.

“When I brought the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to the House Floor as Majority Leader in 2009 – the first piece of legislation of the new Congress – I did so as a first step, not a last one.  It is imperative that we now build on that progress by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would make it more difficult for women to be discriminated against on their paychecks by earning less when performing the same work as men.  It’s time to bring this bill to the Floor, and I urge Speaker Ryan and Leader McCarthy to do so without delay.”