SUBMITTED BY ERIKA WASHIINGTON SB 397
March 30, 2017
Dear Members of the Nevada State Senate,
We write in support of equal pay, and in particular, SB397. Women are integral to their
families’ wellbeing, the modern-day workplace, and a thriving economy. Women make up
roughly half of the workforce, and regardless of family type, the majority of mothers work
outside the home. Over fifty present of Nevada households with children under the age of
18 have mothers who are considered the “breadwinner.” Forty six percent of our
households are managed by single-mothers. Equal pay can have meaningful effects not only
on women, but their entire families. With so many Americans living paycheck to paycheck,
equal pay for equal work could mean saving for a home, retiring with dignity or sending
your kids to college.
Unfortunately, chances are good that women you know are being paid less than male
coworkers in the same job – whether they know it or not. Today, women are paid 80 cents
for every dollar paid to men. In Nevada, Black women are paid only 65 cents and Latinas
just 52 cents compared to every dollar paid to white men. Overall, the inequality in Nevada
is 84 cents for women to every man’s dollar. Yet, compensation data is often hidden. Sixty
percent of private sector employees work in an environment that formally prohibits or
discourages discussing salary information.1
Make it Work Nevada supports efforts to make pay more transparent – through greater
data collection and sharing, and proactively protecting employees who talk about their pay.
Lilly Ledbetter, who fought in court for 10 years because she was paid less than men who
did the same work at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., found out about the pay disparity
only when a colleague sent her an anonymous note. And in Hollywood, the Sony hack
revealed major inequality. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and collecting and sharing pay
data will bring discriminatory pay practices into the light. We shouldn’t have to rely on
hackers and anonymous tipsters to reveal these disparities.
There’s no women’s discount on rent, electricity or any of life’s other necessities. They
have to spend the same as men, and they should be paid the same too. Not only is equal pay
the right thing to do, it also helps women and their families make ends meet and even get
ahead. America is founded on the ideal that all of us are created equal. That should hold
true at home and at work. Paying people fairly for the work they do shouldn't depend on
their gender. That’s why we support these bills.
Sincerely,
Erika Washington
NV State Director
1
http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination/#publications
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