Queens, NY – Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows) announced that she helped pass a legislative package that would end wage discrimination in New York State. The Assembly legislation would make it easier to enforce equal pay regulations and create a state policy to determine and define “comparable work.”

“It’s absurd that in New York State today, we have so many workers who are not earning equal pay for equal work. The time for pay equity is now, especially since New York has always been a leader in implementing progressive policies,” Rozic said. “That is not in line with our community’s commitment to equality, justice and fairness for all. The legislative package I helped pass would finally put an end to unfair pay gaps.”

Specifically, the legislation would:

• enact the New York State Fair Pay Act to address and enforce pay equity, including broadening equal pay protections to include equivalent jobs, making it unlawful for an employer to discriminate between employees on the basis of gender, race or national origin, and ensuring that traditional female and minority jobs are not undervalued (A5958);
• establish state policy that local political subdivisions ensure equal pay for work of comparable value regardless of sex, race or national origin (A1729);
• implement a state policy that compensates employees in state service equally for work of comparable value by eliminating wage inequality for workers due to sex, race or national origin (A753); and
• design and publish a report evaluating wage disparities of public employees related to job titles, segregated by the gender, race and/or national origin of employees (A881).

Women in New York make 84 cents for every dollar men earn, creating a substantial yearly pay gap of roughly $8,275 between men and women working full time in New York.¹M[1] Minority women fare even worse, with African-American women being paid 64 cents and Latina women being paid just 55 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men nationally.²[2] As a group, these full-time working women are paid nearly $23 billion less every year because of the wage gap, Rozic noted.

Pay Equity is a legislative priority for Assemblywoman Rozic, and she has promoted the issue across the State, including at a recent gathering of students and AAUW advocates.

1. www.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/Wage_Gap_ny.pdf

2. Ibid