New Study Demonstrates Ongoing Need for Governor Blagojevich's Equal Pay Campaign

CHICAGO - New research highlights why Governor Rod Blagojevich's equal pay awareness campaign is critically needed to close the wage gap between men and women. According to a recent report compiled by the Chicago Tribune using data pulled from the 2000 Census Bureau statistics, women earn the equivalent of their male counterparts in just five professions out of hundreds of job categories.  

 

"In 2004, nearly 40 years after the Federal Equal Pay Act was passed, women still earn far less than men.  I launched our Equal Pay Awareness Campaign in order to send a strong message to employers that paying women less than men is not only wrong, but it is against the law," said Governor Blagojevich.

 

Governor Blagojevich launched the Equal Pay Awareness Campaign on April 25, aimed at addressing this pervasive problem.  A problem that not only affects women, but the children they support and the communities in which they live.

 

Since the campaign was launched, the Illinois Department of Labor has seen a surge in the number of calls about the Equal Pay Act and the number of equal pay complaints filed.  Two hundred and three women have called the Illinois Department of Labor seeking help, asking for direction on how to file a complaint in the month and a half since the launch of the campaign.  In the nearly 5 months prior to the launch of the campaign, only 16 women had called regarding the Equal Pay Act. 

 

"Women are calling the Illinois Department of Labor in record numbers because the message is being heard," said Governor Blagojevich.  "If a woman does the same work as a man, then she deserves the same pay as a man."

 

• 10,000 equal pay posters are being mailed to the 10,000 largest employers in the state as a required posting. The poster is also available on the Internet in a downloadable version.
• Equal Pay posters are prominently displayed in all state offices.
• 30-second public service announcements have been recorded and are airing on stations all throughout the state of Illinois, explaining the Illinois Equal Pay Act.
• 3,000 equal pay posters will be displayed on buses and trains in the Chicago area, thanks to the cooperation of the Chicago Transit Authority.
• Through Governor Blagojevich's innovative economic development strategy, Opportunity Returns, the Illinois Department of Labor will hold employer-training sessions on the Equal Pay Act the week of July 26.