Friday, April 3, 1998 | 1:58 a.m.
An informational picket Friday by the Southern Nevada chapter of the National Organization for Women to heighten awareness of pay inequality for women was a bit of a flop.
Only about six poster-carrying picketers showed up in front of the Foley Federal Court Building on the day declared National Equal Pay Day by President Clinton.
However, Anne Golonka, local NOW president, attributed the poor turnout to the fact that many of the women who would have attended the event were at work -- most of them earning about 73 percent less per hour than their male counterparts.
"It's even worse for minority women," noted Golonka, whose Southern Nevada organization has about 250 members.
She wasn't fazed by the light turnout of demonstrators, calling the group "small but feisty."
"It was important that we make this statement on this day, even though it's a workday," she said.
Active supporters of equal pay for equal work call the wage differences between men and women a national disgrace.
Paul Brown, with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, was among the picketers Friday morning.
"I think it's an issue of fairness," he said. "I work, my wife works, my sister works and my mom worked."
He said everyone contributes to the economic picture.
"I would think everyone would want fairness," Brown said. "But traditions die hard."
There are many reasons for pay inequality. Tradition is only one of them.
According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, women and minorities remain generally segregated into a few low-paying occupations.
The more an occupation is dominated by women or minorities the less it pays, according to the Committee.
Also, it said, there is a gap because of a difference in education and work experience.
Discrimination is a major contributor to the gap, according to the Committee, which noted that even though the Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits unequal pay for equal work, the law is loosely enforced.
The Institute for Women's Policy Research says women must work 16 1/2 months to earn the same pay men earn in 12 months.
On average, women earn 74 cents for every $1 men earn. Black women earn 65 cents and Hispanic women earn 57 cents.
Nationally Nevada ranks No. 11 in pay equity, with women earning 71.3 percent of what men earn.
Hawaii, at 76 percent, leads the states, while Wyoming, at 59.7 percent, ranks No. 50. California and New York are tied for sixth place, at 73.3 percent.
Among cities, Washington, D.C., has the highest ratio at 87.5 percent.
Golonka said the gaming industry pay scale is equitable because of the impact of unions. The AFL-CIO has made equal pay a top priority.
"Unless the wage gap is closed, the average 25-year-old working woman can expect to lose $523,000 over the course of her career," AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson said. "Working families pay the price for unequal pay -- it's not just a women's issue.
"Equal pay can make the difference in whether a family can afford quality child care, decent health care, college education for the kids, a secure retirement or simply being able to pay the monthly bills on time."
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said no issue touches more working families or is more important to their living standards than equal pay.
"That's why we have launched a nationwide grass-roots campaign to fight for women's wages," Sweeney said in a prepared statement released for National Equal Pay Day. "The AFL-CIO is making equal pay one of the main goals of our 1998 Agenda for Working Families."
The equal pay movement is growing, according to the National Committee on Pay Equity.
According to a report by the Committee, 20 states have made some adjustments of payrolls to correct sex or race bias and seven of those have completed full implementation of a pay equity plan.
The Fair Pay Act has been introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives. If the act becomes law, it would expand the Equal Pay Act's protections against wage discrimination.
Meanwhile, the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor will soon offer two new Internet resources to help employers and working women understand important issues relative to pay practices in the workplace.
The two resources will examine pay issues from an employer's and a working woman's perspective.
"Business have a great stake in equal pay issues as well," Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman said. "In our global economy, we must all work together to ensure recruitment and retention of the best talent available. Equal pay is an important step in strengthening the competitive edge of American business at home and abroad."
archive
