HomeMy WebLinkAbout20- Mayoral Proclamation - Equal Pay Day
Proclamation Recognizing Equal Pay Day
WHEREAS, March 31, 2020 is recognized as “Equal Pay Day,” which is the date that women
will have to work to this year, AND all of 2019 in order to achieve the same earnings that men
achieved in all of 2019; and
WHEREAS, in the United States, on average, women earn 82 cents to the man’s dollar,
Hispanic and Latina women earn 54 cents, American Indian or Alaska Native women earn 57
cents, Black or African American women earn 62 cents, Asian women earn 89 cents; and
WHEREAS, in Montana women earn 77 cents to the man’s dollar, and comparing state by
state, Montana ranks 41st in the United States on the pay equity scale; and
WHEREAS, the wage gap exists in nearly every occupation, in all industries, in every state,
across all countries, at all education levels, and in the private, government, and nonprofit
sectors; and
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; and
WHEREAS, on June 8, 2015 the Bozeman City Commission unanimously passed Resolution
4601 supporting equal pay for equal work; and
WHEREAS, each year since 2015 the City has taken steps to collect data and identify tools that
will assist in the diversification of city positions, encourage the use of innovative and
improved human resources tools, and sought to be an active example in the efforts to close the
gender wage gap; and
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; and
WHEREAS, Bozeman, Montana, as a Welcoming City, recognizes that when there are fair and
equitable outcomes for all women and girls, our community prospers and therefore can
become a city free of gender and other discrimination; and
WHEREAS, the City of Bozeman Strategic Plan Vision calls for a “safe, inclusive community
fostering civic engagement and creativity, with a thriving diversified economy;” and
WHEREAS, the issues of childcare and paid family and medical leave are pressing issues
facing women and families across Bozeman, Gallatin County, and the nation; and
WHEREAS, issues of gender equity, inclusion and safety are community-wide problems that
require community-wide analysis and action, the City of Bozeman - in significant collaboration
with other major leading organizations and businesses - can provide leadership and model
what is possible for other sectors of our community.
Now, therefore, I, Chris Mehl, the Mayor of Bozeman, do hereby proclaim that the City of
Bozeman Montana observes and recognizes March 31, 2020 as Equal Pay Day, a day whose
meaning and purpose needs to become unnecessary by achieving equal pay for equal work by
reaching a day when men and women earn the same wage for the same work after the same
time duration of work; and
I further Proclaim that the City Commission has instructed the City Manager to actively
explore providing childcare and paid family and medical leave to City of Bozeman employees;
and
I further Proclaim, that the City Commission encourages citizens and businesses to have
conversations about gender parity, to explore the equal pay resources available on the State
Equal Pay website; and
I further Proclaim that the City of Bozeman encourages local businesses to pursue their own
hiring, promotional, and pay policies 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 ways in which we can address and work
toward fair pay for all in our community; and
I further Proclaim that the City of Bozeman will continue to take a leadership role in the
community 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; and
I further Proclaim that the City Commission supports the creation of a community-led task
force, with a commissioner liaison that will provide research, advice, and education on
gender-related issues such as pay equity, discrimination, healthcare outcomes, and violence to
advance fair and equitable outcomes for all women and girls in our community.
Signed this _____ day of ______________, 2020
_______________________
Chris Mehl
Mayor of Bozeman