HomeMy WebLinkAbout17- Mayoral Proclamation - Equal Pay DayMAYORAL PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING EQUAL PAY DAY
Whereas, April 4th, 2017, was recognized as "Equal Pay Day," which is the day up to
which women had to work this year in order to achieve the same earnings that men achieved on
January 11; 2017;
Whereas, in the United States, women earn 71 cents to the man's dollar and in Montana
women earn 68 cents to the man's dollar;
Whereas, this wage gap exists in nearly every occupation, in all industries, in every state, across
all countries, at all educations levels, and in the private, government, and nonprofit sectors;
Whereas, the gender wage gap results in women and their families having less access to
financial resources and has unfounded, subtle and unexplained causes that need to be identified
and eliminated;
Whereas, our Commission passed Resolution 4601 supporting Equal Pay for Equal Work in June
of 2015 and our City has, since that time, taken steps to collect data and identify tools that will
assist in the diversification of city positions, encouraged the use of innovative and improved HR
Resources, and sought to be an active example in the effort to close the gender wage gap;
Whereas, in the Equal Pay for Equal Work Resolution 4601 the City of Bozeman committed to
commemorate Equal Pay Day each year and to encourage its citizens to recognize the full value
of women's skills and contributions to the labor force, and to take further action as citizens and
businesses to help close the gender wage gap,
Now, therefore, as the Mayor of Bozeman, 1 hereby Proclaim that the City of Bozeman, Montana
observes and recognizes Equal Pay Day, a day whose meaning and purpose needs to be
dissolved by achieving Equal Pay for Equal Work and by reaching a day when men and women
earn the same wage for the same work after the same duration of work; and
I Further Proclaim that the City of Bozeman encourages local businesses to consider their own
hiring, promotional and pay policies and hold them to standards that reflect equal opportunity
and gender wage equity; and
I Further Proclaim that the City of Bozeman encourages citizens and businesses to actively
participate in workshops and dialogue to learn more ways in which we can address and work
toward fair pay for all in our community and for all Montanans. The city commission further
encourages citizens and businesses to have conversations about gender parity, to explore the
equal pay resources available on the State Equal Pay website, and to attend the Governor's
Equal Pay Rally at the Capitol building in Helena tomorrow at 2pm, and to attend the 2017 State
Equal Pay Summit at the University of Montana this coming fall.
AprilI )nl7
Carson Taylor
Mayor