Senator Robach Plays Politics by Obstructing Equal Pay

ALBANY, NY (04/18/2008)(readMedia)-- Senator Robach Plays Politics to Keep Women And People of Color From Receiving Fair Pay

Equal Pay Day – April 22: Women Still in the Red

What: A rally to protest NYS Senator Joseph Robach preventing a vote in the Senate on the NYS Fair Pay Act by keeping it in the Labor Committee which he chairs. The Fair Pay Act will ensure that employers pay job titles, where women and people of color predominate, wages that are comparable to those paid to other job titles evaluated to require equivalent skill and responsibility levels.

Senator Robach recently sponsored a pay equity bill that passed the Senate in an astounding one day time. This bill calls for yet another study and only requires a $1,000 fine for employers who discriminate. This watered-down bill does not go far enough to make sure that workers of all races and genders are paid fairly in New York state.

When: Tuesday, April 22, 5:30 p.m. April 22 is Equal Pay Day. This day symbolizes how far into 2008 women must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned in 2007. Women, on average, earn only 77 cents to every $1 a man earns. African American women earn 71 cents and Latinas earn 58 cents to every $1 a man earns.

Where: NYS Senator Robach’s office, 2300 W. Ridge Rd.

Speakers: Richard Dollinger, Sandra Frankel and Willa Powell. All are seeking the Democratic nomination to run against Robach in the November elections. Assembly- woman Susan John, who sponsored the NYS Fair Pay Act in the state assembly, also will speak.

Sponsored by: Rochester NOW

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