PRINTER'S NO. 1347
No. 102 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY ORIE, OCTOBER 1, 2001
REFERRED TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, OCTOBER 1, 2001
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, According to the Department of Labor and Industry,
9 Bureau of Research and Statistics, the trend of more women
10 entering the labor force in Pennsylvania will continue through
11 the year 2005, and women's share of the labor force will
12 continue to increase, exceeding 47%, as a larger proportion
13 looks for jobs; and
14 WHEREAS, The effect of wage disparity follows women
15 throughout their lives, since pension and Social Security
16 benefits are based on pay earned while working; and
17 WHEREAS, The existence of pay disparities depresses the wages
18 of working families who rely on the wages of all members of the
19 family to make ends meet, prevents the maximum utilization of
20 the available labor resources and violates the longstanding
21 public policy of our country against wage discrimination; and
22 WHEREAS, There is still more ground to cover before the wage
23 gap between men's and women's wage is eliminated; and
24 WHEREAS, There is need for a comprehensive reexamination of
25 the role our government's laws play in the daily deterrence of
26 workplace wage discrimination and their effectiveness in
27 ensuring that women receive equal pay for work of equal value;
28 therefore be it
29 RESOLVED (the House of Representatives concurring), that the
30 General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania memorialize
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1 the Congress of the United States to study the issue of
2 workplace pay disparity and laws relating thereto; and be it
3 further
4 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
5 the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each
6 member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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