PRINTER'S NO. 397
No. 47 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY ORIE, KITCHEN, BOSCOLA, RHOADES, MUSTO, LAVALLE,
ARMSTRONG, MELLOW, STOUT, FERLO, STACK, LOGAN, TARTAGLIONE,
O'PAKE, FUMO, WOZNIAK AND RAFFERTY, MARCH 12, 2007
REFERRED TO LABOR AND INDUSTRY, MARCH 12, 2007
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing Congress to study the issue of workplace pay
2 disparity and the need to reexamine existing Federal laws
3 relating to that issue.
4 WHEREAS, Women work for pay in greater numbers, in more
5 occupations and for more years of their lives than ever before;
6 and
7 WHEREAS, The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil
8 Rights Act of 1964 provide a critical foundation for women
9 seeking greater opportunities in the workplace and a paycheck
10 free from stereotypes about the value of women's work; and
11 WHEREAS, Legislative efforts are currently under way on the
12 Federal level which call for enhanced enforcement of wage
13 discrimination laws as well as additional policy initiatives and
14 improved training for government agencies charged with enforcing
15 equal pay requirements under the law; and
16 WHEREAS, The issue of equal pay continues to resonate among
17 women in the 1990s, as illustrated by a 1994 survey conducted by
18 the Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, which found that
1 improving pay and benefits was one of working women's three main
2 priorities for change, along with balancing work and family and
3 gaining respect and opportunity on the job; and
4 WHEREAS, Despite the importance of women to today's economy,
5 women in the 1990s continue to earn less than men for work on
6 jobs that require equal skill, effort and responsibility and
7 that are performed under similar working conditions; and
8 WHEREAS, The effect of wage disparity follows women
9 throughout their lives, since pension and Social Security
10 benefits are based on pay earned while working; and
11 WHEREAS, The existence of pay disparities depresses the wages
12 of working families who rely on the wages of all members of the
13 family to make ends meet, prevents the maximum utilization of
14 the available labor resources and violates the longstanding
15 public policy of our country against wage discrimination; and
16 WHEREAS, There is still more ground to cover before the wage
17 gap between men's and women's wage is eliminated; and
18 WHEREAS, There is need for a comprehensive reexamination of
19 the role our government's laws play in the daily deterrence of
20 workplace wage discrimination and their effectiveness in
21 ensuring that women receive equal pay for work of equal value;
22 therefore be it
23 RESOLVED (the House of Representatives concurring), that the
24 General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania memorialize
25 the Congress of the United States to study the issue of
26 workplace pay disparity and laws relating thereto; and be it
27 further
28 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
29 the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each
30 member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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