TO:The Honorable Tate Reeves, Lieutenant Governor
The Honorable Philip Gunn, Speaker of the House
FROM:Professional women in Mississippi government relations and organizations
We are writing to ask that you give thoughtful and fair consideration to legislation to provide for a pay equity law in Mississippi during the 2018 Regular Session, including floor votes in both chambers.
While we recognize that there are a number of initiatives that require your attention and support during this session, we believe that pay equity is also an important matter for the Legislature to address.
Specifically:
- Passing legislation to protect equal pay for equal work will demonstrate to women that we value their contributions to our economy.
- Women represent more than 51% of our population.
- Women represent more than 60% of our graduates from Mississippi colleges and universities.
- Women represent more than 48% of our workforce.
- Passing legislation to protect equal pay for equal work will demonstrate to millennials that we share their values in human resource issues.
- Studies show that millennials want their employers to address the pay gap.
- Millennials account for 40% of the workforce now and will increase to 75% in the next ten years.
- Some census data shows that certain segments of the millennial population are leaving our state for employment opportunities elsewhere.
- Passing legislation to protect equal pay for equal work will demonstrate to companies that Mississippi is the right business environment in which to invest.
- Companies like Amazon, Coca-Cola, Nike, Delta, Dow Jones are publicly addressing pay equity to improve their “brand” for consumers and new-hires.
- Passing legislation to protect equal pay for equal work could increase the labor supply and stimulateeconomic growth, according to an analysis by Wells-Fargo economists.
- Passing legislation to protect equal pay for equal work has the potential to unleash an additional $4 billion into Mississippi’s annual economy.
- Passing legislation to protect equal pay for equal work has the potential to break the cycle of poverty in Mississippi.
- Mississippi ranks #1 in poverty nationwide.
- Mississippi ranks #1 in women in poverty nationwide.
- 3 out of 4 Mississippi children living in poverty live in a household headed by a woman.
Mississippi is one of only two states in the nation without a wage discrimination law on the books, so this is hardly a blue state versus red state issue. There can be reasonable disagreement about the merits of specific legislative language, but the Legislature should at least give pay equity an open and fair debate. Governor Bryant has been quoted as saying he “welcome[s] a serious conversation about the issue,” and we encourage you to make that serious conversation happen for our State.