Pay Equity in Minnesota

PAY EQUITY COALITION OF MINNESOTA

Mission: To eliminate the wage gap between women and men employed full timein Minnesota's paid labor force. We do this by educating the public about unfair gender based pay inequities and advocating for social change.

About the Pay Equity Coalition:

The Pay Equity Coalition of Minnesota is an unincorporated network of organizations and individuals. The group came together initially to support the State Government Pay Equity Act of 1982 (M.S. 43A) and Local Government Pay Equity Act of 1984 (M.S. 471.991 – 471.999). Both of these laws are unique in the nation, and both continue to be monitored and enforced. The result is most visible in state government employment, where average earnings for female employees has increased from 72% of earnings for male employees in 1982 to 97% of earnings for male employees in 2006.

Contact Us:

To join the Pay Equity Coalition and receive email notices of current activity, write President Patty Tanji, ptanji@aol.com.

Our mailing address for donations and other business is c/o Minnesota Women’s Consortium, 550 Rice Street, St. Paul 55103.

National Pay Equity Activity

The Paycheck Fairness Act has recently (spring 2007) been re-introduced in Congress. For more information about this and other national and international pay equity initiatives, go to www.pay-equity.org

Resources:

The Office on the Economic Status of Women in the Minnesota Legislature has a report on pay equity on its website, www.oesw.leg.mn.

The Pay Equity Coalition is a member organization of the Minnesota Women’s Consortium. Many other member groups, including the Association of University Women, Business and Professional Women, League of Women Voters, and others have been long-time supporters of pay equity. Visit the Consortium website, www.mnwomen.org, for contact information for these and other groups committed to economic equality for women.

The Minnesota Department of Employee Relations Pay Equity Unit offers technical assistance, instructions for job evaluation, pay analysis, completing pay equity reports, a free Job Match evaluation system, and free computer software for pay analysis.www.doer.state.mn.us/lr-peqty/lr-peqty.htm or Pay Equity Coordinator Faith Zwemke, Faith.Zwemke@state.mn.us, or 651/259-3761.

Earn More, Move Up: A New Look at the Gender Pay Differential (edited by Jennifer Keil, Ph.D.) was published in March 2007 by the Center for Economic Progress. Cost of the book is $15. To order, visit the CEP website, www.economicprogress.net.

During the 2007 Minnesota State Legislative session the Pay Equity Coalition of Minnesota mobilized to the pass the "Pay Equity for State Contractors Bill". Below you will find Facts and Frequently Asked Questions regarding this bill.