To: The Maryland State House and The Maryland State Senate
Pass Equal Pay for Equal Work Laws in Maryland
Maryland Legislature! Pass HB1003/SB0481: Labor and Employment – Equal Pay for Equal Work. Do it during the current 2016 legislative session!
Why is this important?
In an April 18, 2015, article The Baltimore Sun reported on a study by the National Women's Law Center showing that overall Maryland women earned $.86 for every dollar earned by a male for comparable work. Another study cited in the story, by the Institute for Women's Policy Research showed Maryland women earned $.87 for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. Nationwide, the Institute reported, that was second only to New York where women earned $.88 to the dollar. These figures for Maryland women are still nothing to brag about when you consider 1.) There is an increasing number of households in which females are either the sole provider or the absolute single head of the household; 2.) The gender gap is wider among African-American and Latina women; 3.) There are questions about the growth of the disparity as a woman advances in a career; and 4.) There is currently no means to protect a woman who is lawfully inquiring about her salary and/or lodging formal complaints with respect to it without fear of retribution by her employer.
Fortunately, in the 2016 Legislative Session, there is still another (there have been other unsuccessful efforts in previous sessions) to make Equal Pay for Equal Work the law of the state! In the House of Delegates, the bill is known as HB1003, and in the Senate it is SB0481. Among other provisions, the bills' goals are identical: to prevent discrimination in pay/conversation on the basis of gender/gender identity and to prevent retribution against employees identifying disparities through various state and other channels. They accomplish this by amending and adding provisions to existing laws. The bills also TAKE INTO ACCOUNT that disparities can and will continue to exist when it comes to merit, differences in education, level of experience, distinct difference in the ability to perform specific tasks, etc. In other words, the proposed legislation strikes a FAIR BALANCE demanding ONLY fair compensation for those jobs where men and women on equal levels deserve to be paid equally!
As a fellow Maryland voter, I URGE YOU to encourage your delegates and senators to get behind this legislation! Both the House of Delegates and the Senate are scheduled to begin hearings in early March. So time is critical! If you wish to join movements in support of this legislation, I encourage you to do so. And by all means, study the legislation as proposed for yourself, by all means do so! Simply go to the Maryland General Assembly website at http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frm1st.aspx?tab=home and enter the bill's number into the search bar. Once in the bill you will find an icon for the PDF text of the proposed legislation!
Thank you for your consideration. Together, we can put Maryland among the leaders in the Equal Pay Movements!
Fortunately, in the 2016 Legislative Session, there is still another (there have been other unsuccessful efforts in previous sessions) to make Equal Pay for Equal Work the law of the state! In the House of Delegates, the bill is known as HB1003, and in the Senate it is SB0481. Among other provisions, the bills' goals are identical: to prevent discrimination in pay/conversation on the basis of gender/gender identity and to prevent retribution against employees identifying disparities through various state and other channels. They accomplish this by amending and adding provisions to existing laws. The bills also TAKE INTO ACCOUNT that disparities can and will continue to exist when it comes to merit, differences in education, level of experience, distinct difference in the ability to perform specific tasks, etc. In other words, the proposed legislation strikes a FAIR BALANCE demanding ONLY fair compensation for those jobs where men and women on equal levels deserve to be paid equally!
As a fellow Maryland voter, I URGE YOU to encourage your delegates and senators to get behind this legislation! Both the House of Delegates and the Senate are scheduled to begin hearings in early March. So time is critical! If you wish to join movements in support of this legislation, I encourage you to do so. And by all means, study the legislation as proposed for yourself, by all means do so! Simply go to the Maryland General Assembly website at http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frm1st.aspx?tab=home and enter the bill's number into the search bar. Once in the bill you will find an icon for the PDF text of the proposed legislation!
Thank you for your consideration. Together, we can put Maryland among the leaders in the Equal Pay Movements!