You’re Invited to Attend Equal Pay Day!
Tuesday, April 22
Massachusetts State House
Hearing Room A-1
10am -12 noon

Click here for our informative flyer regarding Equal Pay Day.

Upcoming Pay Equity Events of Interest

April 15—Acton-Area NOW Forum
Women’s Wage Puzzle
Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street in Concord, MA
6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Panel of speakers for the event includes:
Evelyn F. Murphy, President of the Wage Project and former Lt. Governor; Lauren Stiller Rikleen, Senior Law Partner and Executive Director of the Bowditch Institute for Women’s Success; and Meg A. Bond, Professor and Director of the Center for Women and Work at the University of MA - Lowell
Contact: Alison Morgan at ActonAreaNow@aol.com or by phone at 978-779-5394.

April 19—Money Conference, Springfield 
Western New England College, 1215 Wilbraham Road
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Conference is Free and Open to the Public
Registration Information can be found at: http://www.themoneyconference.com/registrationspringfield.htm?selection=doc.1198
Contact: Office of State Treasurer Tim Cahill, 617-367-3900

April 19—AAUW Spring Conference 
Educational Opportunity—Myth or Reality?
Grappone Conference Center, Concord, NH
9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Program includes discussions of workplace equity, non-traditional careers and business/corporations: what they’re looking for
Contact: Maggie Ford, 603-526-7245; Eleanore Smart, 603-352-0488

April 22—Equal Pay Day, State House
Massachusetts Coalition for Women’s Wage Equality
State House, Boston, Room A-1
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Contact: mcsw@state.ma.us or call at 617-626-6520

May 16-18—BPW- Massachusetts State Convention 
Contact: bpwma.netscape.net

June 5-7—National Council for Research on Women, NYC 
Annual Conference—Hitting the Ground Running: Research, Activism and Leadership for a New Era
Kimmel Center, NYU
Featured Speakers: Charlotte Bunch, Kimberle Crenshaw, Beverly Guy Sheftall, Helen LaKelly Hunt, Rosalind Petchesky, Anne Runyon, Ellie Smeal, Kathy Spillar, Deborah Thomas
Contact:  ncrw@ncrw.org, or call 212-785-7335
Website: http://www.ncrw.org/events/conference2008/

June 9—Women’s Policy Conference, (Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy)Women, Work and Wages
UMass Boston, Campus Center
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Contact: cwppp@umb.edu or call 617.287.5541

June 11-12—MIT Workplace Center 
Advancing Women in the Profession: Action Plans for Women's Bar Associations
Omni Parker House Hotel, 60 School St., Boston
June 10, Noon to 5:30 p.m. and June 11, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Contact:  617.253.7996 or workplacecenter@mit.edu
 www.web.mit.edu/workplacecenter/events.html

September 27—Money Conference for Women and Families 
Reggie Lewis Athletic Center
Roxbury Community College, 1350 Tremont St., Boston
http://www.themoneyconference.com
Contact: Office of State Treasurer Tim Cahill, 617-367-3900

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The Reality of the Wage Gap in Massachusetts

According to the recent “State of Women: A County By County Report on the Status of Women & Girls in Massachusetts,” women earn less than men in EVERY county in Massachusetts-an average of 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Not only does this impact their ability to be economically self sufficient and provide for their families, but it affects women’s abilities to access education, housing, healthcare, childcare, investments, retirement, etc.

In response to this profound wage gap, the Massachusetts Coalition for Women’s Wage Equality formed as a broad based, statewide coalition of dynamic organizations and individuals committed to endorsing pay equity for women of the Commonwealth.

The Coalition’s goal is to support and advocate for equitable compensation for women who are employed in jobs that require comparable skills, efforts, responsibilities, and working conditions to those of men.

Facts and Figures: How much is the wage gap costing you?

The Wage Gap in the United States
·        A female High School graduate will lose $700,000[1] in her lifetime
·         A female college graduate loses $1.2 million, and a professional school graduate loses $2 million.[2]
·        Women who work full time and year round made 76.9% of men’s earnings in 2006.[3]
·        The wage gap has been stalled for more then a decade.

[1] WAGE Project

[2] ibid

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An Act to Authorize the Human Resources Division to Undertake a Study of the State’s Job Classification System (S1858/ H2826)
Summary of Bill:
This bill would require the state’s human resources division to establish a job analysis study of state employees of the executive branch to update the current job classification system and review class titles, job specifications, organizational relationships and job qualifications to insure that employee compensation, pensions, and benefits are free from gender and racial bias. It would also establish a Workforce Advisory Council of experts to assist the human resources division with this work.

An Act Further Defining Comparable Work (S1070/ H1869)
Summary of Bill:
This legislation would define comparable work as “solely based on whether the two positions entail comparable skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions between employees of the opposite sex.”

Click here to go to MCSW's legislative page

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Join the Coalition!

There are several ways you can get involved with the Coalition! We encourage and welcome your support at every level. Every organization committed to pay equity makes us one step closer to achieving our goals. We work to create a strong network for advancing pay equity and we encourage the broadening of ideas and knowledge through sharing with, and supporting, all coalition members. If you or your organization would like to be listed on coalition literature or you are interested in engaging in other types of support, please contact Jill Ashton, MCSW Outreach Coordinator, 617-626-6520.

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Links to Massachusetts Coalition for Wage Equality Members

Follow these links to learn more about the organizations that make up the Coalition: