04/16/02 - Equal Pay DayPROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, more than thirty-five years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women continue to suffer the consequences of
inequitable pay differentials; and - - - - - - -
WHEREAS, although women's earnings have been slowly catching up to men's over time, the National Committee on Pay Equity
tells us that this reduction in the wage gap has more to do with a decrease in men's earnings than with an increase in women's earnings;
and
WHEREAS, a vast majority of households depend on the wages of a working mother and working families are often just one
paycheck away from hardship; and
WHEREAS, fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs, while enhancing the economy;
and
WHEREAS, the Institute for Women's Policy Research reports that the average 25 year old woman will earn $523,000 less than
the average 25 year old man over the next 40 years if current wage patterns continue; and
WHEREAS, a study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research and the AFL-CIO found that more than 50 percent of two -
earner and single -mother households across the country would be lifted out of poverty if equal pay were enacted and enforced at the state
level; and
WHEREAS, women earned 73 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2000, a difference of 27 percent; and
WHEREAS, Equal Pay Day, Tuesday, April 16, 2002 represents the day of the week when women's wages catch up to men's
wages from the previous week; and
WHEREAS, Soroptimist International of Kalispell is committed to improving the lives of women and families in the Flathead
Valley community by increasing public awareness about the need for pay equity across gender and race, and has requested that the
Kalispell City Council support these efforts:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Pamela B. Kennedy, Mayor of the City of Kalispell, Flathead County, Montana do hereby proclaim
Tuesday, April 16, 2002 as EQUAL PAY DAY'in the.City of Kalispell, and encourages Flathead Valley employers to review their pay
practices related to pay equity.
DATED this 15" day of April, 2062.
Pamela B. Kennedy, Mayor