City of Worcester, MA

Committee to Discuss Pay Equity in Worcester

For Immediate Release: 9/22/2014 10:39 am

Worcester, MA (September 22, 2014) - 50 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act (EPA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, women and minorities continue to suffer the consequences of unequal pay. The City's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women wishes to examine the wage disparities that continue to exist in Worcester, and seek local testimony to inform their future recommendations to the City.

The committee will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, October 22, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The hearing will take place at the Worcester YWCA, One Salem Square, Worcester. The hearing is open to the public.

The committee is interested in hearing testimony regarding:

• Specific incidences of pay inequality based upon gender, race and religion;
• Pay inequality as it relates to women employed in all sectors or employment (for example temporary/seasonal, part-time, full-time, as well as private and/or public employment);
• Testimony regarding issues of "comparable work." (According to language from Massachusetts Bill H1767, comparable work is defined by a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Order specifying that jobs of equal skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions shall be treated equitably);
• Solutions and/or proposals for closing the pay gap.

Members of the public are invited to provide in-person testimony. Written testimony is also welcome and may be submitted up to and including the time of the hearing, and can be sent to:

Advisory Committee on the Status of Women
c/o Catherine Nash, Staff Liaison
Office of Human Rights & Disabilities
City Hall Room 303
455 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608
OR nashc@worcesterma.gov