ALA President Freedman seeks better salaries for female-dominated profession
Contact: Larra Clark
312-280-5043
For Immediate Release
March 19, 2003
ALA President Freedman seeks better salaries for female-dominated profession
On Tuesday, April 15, the American Library Association (ALA) will join thousands of women and men across the United States in a national day of action against unfair pay called Equal Pay Day. This event symbolizes how far into 2003 a woman must work, on average, to match the salary earned by a man during 2002, and Tuesday is symbolic of the point into the new week that a woman must work to earn the wages paid to a man the previous week. On a national level, a woman is paid only 76 cents, on average, for every dollar a man is paid, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
"As workers in a predominately female occupation, almost all library workers suffer from a wage gap when compared with workers in predominately male occupations requiring similar education, training, skills and responsibilities," said ALA President Maurice J. (Mitch) Freedman. "I hope library employees and supporters will use Equal Pay Day to kick off or further energize a local or state campaign for better salaries and pay equity. Women, and everyone who works in female-predominant fields like libraries, deserve and must demand comparable pay for comparable work."
The ALA was a charter member of the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE), a coalition of more than 80 organizations, including labor unions, women's and civil right organizations, commissions on women, and religious, professional, educational and legal associations. ALA has served on the board of directors of NCPE since 1985.
To raise public awareness of the women's wage gap, in 1996 NCPE initiated a nationwide Equal Pay Day, held each year in April to show how far behind women's median earnings are with respect to men's median earnings. In June 2002, the ALA Council passed a resolution in recognition and support of Equal Pay Day "encouraging libraries and library employees across the country to become aware of the issues involved and work to achieve pay equity in the United States."
Libraries can recognize and support Equal Pay Day - and raise awareness about library staff salaries, as well - in a number of ways. California librarians have distributed cookies missing a quarter section. Some library workers have created displays about the wage gap and joined local Equal Pay Day events. Red is worn on this day as a symbol of how far women and minorities are in the "red" with their pay. Resources and ideas for action can be found on the
NCPE Web site.
"With Mitch Freedman energizing and empowering library workers to seek better salaries through his initiative and the work of the taskforce, Equal Pay Day provides an ideal opportunity to raise public awareness of this issue," said Michele Leber, newly elected chair of NCPE and a member of Freedman's Better Salaries taskforce. "NCPE is heartened by ALA's formal support of Equal Pay Day and delighted with ALA's activities to promote pay equity."
For more information on Freedman's Special ALA Presidential Task Force on Better Salaries & Pay Equity Site, please visit
http://www.mjfreedman.org/tfhome.html. The site also provides links to pay equity efforts across the globe.
