Democrats Announce Legislation to Bring Pay Equity to Michigan

Package of bills will punish wage discrimination, create pay equity board

LANSING — State Representatives Gretchen Driskell (D-Saline) and Dian Slavens (D-Canton) announced legislation today to create pay equity in Michigan. Full-time working women in the state make 74 percent of their male counterparts, even less than the nationwide gap of 77 percent.

"In Michigan, women make about $13,000 less than men on average. That makes our state 44^th in pay equity," Driskell said. "Too many families are already struggling. Equal pay will help hard-working Michigan women make ends meet."

April 9 is recognized as Pay Equity Day because it is the calendar date by which women catch up to their male counterparts in earnings from the previous year. Women's groups around the nation use the occasion to highlight the issue of income inequality. Michigan House Democrats are marking the day by introducing a package of bills to bring pay equity to our state. The package includes legislation to:

·  Prohibit an employer from failing to provide equal compensation for work of comparable value for several reasons, including sex

·        Create penalties for employers who pay different wages to men and women who are "similarly situated" – employees with similar qualifications, experience, etc.

·        Create a state commission on pay equity

·        Require an employer to provide, at an employee's request, wage information for "similarly situated employees"

"It saddens me that we have to be talking about pay equity in 2013. It's simply unfair to pay women less for the same work," Slavens said. "I'm hopeful that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will see the need for this legislation, and I look forward to doing everything I can to get these bills passed."