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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING DECEMBER 8, 2022, 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; and
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 54 cents; and
WHEREAS, Latinas must work nearly 23 months to earn what white men earn in 12 months which means it takes almost two years for Latinas to earn what White men earn in one; and
WHEREAS, looking back over the past 30 years, Latinas have earned less than 60 cents for every dollar earned by non-Hispanic white men and today’s gap is only about five cents smaller than it was in 1990; and
WHEREAS, the low-wage work and the persistent gender wage gap also hurt not only Latinas but their families as well which makes them vulnerable to experiencing poverty, especially those who are single heads of households; and
WHEREAS, there are still to this day jobs that are considered essential but are severely underpaid such as caregivers and domestic workers compared to comparably skilled jobs in other industries that are male-dominated; and
WHEREAS, the pandemic took a disproportionate toll on industries where the majority of workers are considered women, and even so women are more likely to lose their jobs compared to men; and
WHEREAS, Latina even with a bachelor's degree face a worse pay gap compared to a white man who also has college degrees; and
WHEREAS, women ask for raises or promotions at the same rates as men, only 71 Latinas are promoted to manager for every 100 men who receive a promotion; and
WHEREAS, Latinas work in the healthcare field and other risky service jobs, they are still being paid less than white men in these jobs; and
WHEREAS, women of color pay a high penalty for motherhood, often pushed out of their jobs and into lower-paying ones for taking time off to give birth which creates a ripple effect for years to come and backtracks them in the working field.
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 December 8, 2022, as Latina Equal Pay Day and reaffirms its commitment to closing the wage gap for all women.
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