Contact: Jess Kamm, 412-562-2446, jkamm@usw.org
The following statement was released today by United Steelworkers (USW) International President Leo W. Gerard in recognition of International Women’s Day:
(Pittsburgh, PA) – The USW is proud to honor International Women’s Day and the generations of women who fought for economic justice throughout the world.
However, as we celebrate these courageous women and their accomplishments, we recognize that we must continue their fight until we have achieved true workplace equality.
On average, women in the United States still earn only 78 cents for every $1 earned by men, a discrepancy that has remained largely unchanged for the past decade.
Legislation that makes it easier for workers to openly discuss salaries and identify pay discrimination would help remedy this disparity.
Yet Republican lawmakers have continually blocked equal pay measures. Most recently in September, every senate Republican voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would have facilitated greater transparency and enabled women to more easily recognize and remedy sex-based pay discrimination.
Despite Republican obstructionism, eliminating salary secrecy policies has already been shown to work. Workplaces where workers are encouraged to openly discuss the conditions of their employment—including most union workplaces—already have significantly smaller gender wage gaps.
Women are an essential part of our workforce, and they deserve fair wages. It is long past time for every woman in this country to be guaranteed equal pay for equal work.
The USW is the largest private sector union in North America, representing workers in a wide range of industries including metals, mining, rubber, paper and forestry, oil refining, plus office, technical and service workers in health care, security, hotels and municipal governments and agencies. For more, go to www.usw.org.
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