Statement by Edward J. McElroy
President, American Federation of Teachers,
 on Equal Pay Day

Washington, D.C. – The pay disparity highlighted on Equal Pay Day reaffirms that the promise of "equal opportunity for all" is not yet a reality for many American workers.  Today, despite our nation's many advances in civil rights, one essential building block of equality—wages—still lags for women and minorities far behind those of men and nonminorities.  New polling data released by the American Association of University Women show that a college-educated woman on average makes $17,600 less than a college-educated male and that a woman of color earns on average 20 percent to 45 percent less than a man. 

Union membership is a powerful weapon in the fight for equal pay: The typical female union member earns 38 percent more per week than a woman who does not belong to a union. The AFT has always fought for fair pay, especially for our many members who work in the education and healthcare fields – jobs traditionally held by women and, therefore, historically underpaid. 

But unions alone can't eliminate the pay gap.  That's why the AFT is calling on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, introduced by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), which would strengthen enforcement of the Equal Pay Act, and provide more effective remedies to victims of sexual discrimination in the payment of wages.  The AFT also supports the Fair Pay Act, introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), which would prohibit employers from reducing employees’ salaries to equalize wages, and require employers to pay the same wages for jobs that are comparable and require the same skills, education and responsibilities.

We look forward to a time when Equal Pay Day is no longer a reminder of a terrible inequity in wages but a celebration of a great victory for all of America's workers and families.

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