ELY - The city of Ely stepped up recently to become the100th local signatory to the Affirmation of Equal Pay for their workforce.

The local equal-pay promotion is a collaborative effort of the American Association of University Women—Ely Branch, and the Ely Rotary Club. The project, which began in 2018, has set a goal to be able to celebrate Ely as a 100-percent pay equity community by April of 2020.

“This sends a strong message that Ely supports all its people equally,” said Mayor Chuck Novak on signing the affirmation. “We welcome more people to come and receive the benefits of living and working in our community.”

Caroline Owens, AAUW public policy chair, said, “We have reached 88.3 percent of Ely businesses who have signed the affirmation and we’re excited about that. But we have much more to celebrate. In the past, the Eighth Congressional District has ranked dead last in the state in pay equity. But with the most recent statistics, the district has risen from 8th to 5th.”

When the promotion reaches its goal, Ely will be positioned as the first equal-pay community in the state. “We believe being a100-percent equal pay community makes good sense in our efforts to promote Ely as a positive community that places a priority in the economic well-being of its residents.”

The principle of equal pay is non-discrimination in compensation for work. It states that pay should be based on the kind and quality of work done, and not according to the age, race, sex, religion, political association, ethnic origin, or any other individual or group characteristic unrelated to ability, performance, and qualification.

The Equal Pay Act was signed into law by John F. Kennedy on June 10, 1963. The law mandates that men and women receive equal pay for “substantially equal” work at the same establishment. A year later, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that added protections against discrimination based on an individual’s national origin, religion, race or sex.

“There are pay differences because of the type of jobs women have traditionally chosen and because women often take time off from work for child-rearing,” Owens said. “Those differences do not, however, account for the disparity in pay when you compare the differential between men and women in substantially the same job with substantially the same education and experience.” She said it is those differences the promotion focuses on as a way to promote equal pay for equal work.

For businesses that have not yet had the opportunity to sign the affirmation, details and affirmation forms can be secured by contacting ldsutton2001@aol.com.