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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING OCTOBER 29, 2020 AS LATINA EQUAL PAY DAY
WHEREAS, fifty-seven years ago, in 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act into law which requires employers to give “equal pay for equal work” and one year later, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed in which Title VII of that act barred all discrimination in employment, including discrimination in hiring, firing, promotion, and wages on the bases of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;
WHEREAS, in 2009 President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, which served to further strengthened previously established anti discriminatory labor laws: and
WHEREAS, “Equal Pay Day” was initiated in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity to symbolize how far into the current year a woman must work to earn as much as man doing similar work earned in the previous year; and
WHEREAS, Overall, women in the United States, who work full-time, year-round, are compensated only 82 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. Over the course of her lifetime, this gap will cost a woman and her family lost wages, reduced pensions and diminished Social Security benefits; and
WHEREAS, due to the compounding effects of gender and racial discrimination, for women of the color, the pay gap is even wider; and
WHEREAS, for every $1 earned by white non-Hispanic males, Asian American and Pacific Islander women earn 90 cents, Black women earn 62 cents, Native American women earn 60 cents and Latinas earn just 55 cents; and
WHEREAS, because of these disparities and Equal Pay Day Chicago organizers have moved the official date of the Equal Pay Day Rally from March to Latina Equal Pay Day which will be held on October 29, 2020; and
WHEREAS, October 29, 2020 is a stark reminder of the significant disparity and amount of time it takes for Latina women to make as much as a white, non-Hispanic man; and
WHEREAS, Latina women represent 27.9 million of the U.S. population and Latinxs are driving the American economy with $1.7 trillion in purchasing power; and
WHEREAS, equal pay for all women is essential to the economic stability and success for Latinas, their families and their communities; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the residents of Cook County, hereby recognizes the disparity between wages paid to all women, especially Latina women and its impact on their lives, families and community; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners honor October 29, 2020 as Latina Equal Pay Day and reaffirms its commitment to closing the wage gap for all women.
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