Hundreds of members participated in Equal Pay Day on April 11 by showing their support for closing the pay gap between women and men.
Equal Pay Day is the day on which the average Canadian woman earns the same amount of money the average Canadian man earned in the previous calendar year. In 2016, it meant that women had to work 15.5 months to earn what men earned in 12.
To raise awareness of the pay gap, the Equal Pay Day Coalition asked everyone to wear red and held a rally at Queen’s Park to demand action to close the gap.
The key ask in 2017 is for legislation that will bring transparency to the pay gap in both public and private sector workplaces so inequities can be corrected. Similar laws already exist in Quebec, Australia, Denmark and the United Kingdom. Click here to learn more about pay transparency legislation and other steps you can take to help close the gap.
In Society-represented workplaces the pay gap is generally smaller but issues continue to persist. The impact of maternity leave on women’s careers and the potential inequities for locals that have pay-for-performance systems in place are key concerns in Society-represented workplaces.
Members who participated in Equal Pay Day by tweeting a photo of them in their red clothing were entered into a draw for a $50 Tim Horton’s gift card. Tracy Miller, chair of SEP’s Sisters in Society women’s committee drew the winning entry. The winner is Meagan Snow of the OPG Local, pictured at right with OPG Unit Director Susan Sloan, who delivered Meagan’s prize. Click here to see Meagan’s winning entry.
