For Immediate Release
Wednesday, April 01, 1998
Working Women Rally for Equal Pay: The Question Is, "Where's My 26 Cents?"
WASHINGTON —Women earn less than men in virtually every job category-- 74 cents for every dollar men receive on average. In fact, in order to earn the amount a male co-worker was paid in 1997, a woman would have to work until April 3, 1998, the day that has been designated "Equal Pay Day" by advocates for working women.
On Thursday, April 2, Council 26 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Coalition of Labor Union Women and the Metropolitan Women’s Organizing Project will co-sponsor an Equal Pay Day rally at McPherson Square Park to protest the differences between men’s and women’s wages. The rally will also focus attention on a group of female Capitol Hill custodians who filed a class action lawsuit against the Architect of the Capital (AOC) for pay discrimination.
The suit charges the female custodians were paid significantly less than the male laborers for performing essentially the same work. The highest paid custodial worker earned $10.08 per hour, while the highest paid laborer earned $11.10 per hour. Of the 300 custodial workers who clean the House and Senate Office Buildings only six are men.
"I’m proud of the work I do. For two decades, I have emptied trash, swept floors and cleaned the offices of our nation’s lawmakers. But every day I work with the clear understanding that my time is not as valuable in the eyes of my employer as that of my male co-workers," said Hazel Dews, President, AFSCME Local 626.
| EVENT: |
Equal Pay Day Rally/mass leafleting, sponsored by AFSCME Council 26, the Coalition of Labor Union Women and the Metropolitan Women’s Organizing Project. |
| DATE/TIME: |
Thursday, April 2, 1998 8:00 a.m. |
| LOCATION: | McPherson Square Park - 15th Street between I and K Streets. |
