Comparable Worth Update
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The Hawaii League of Women Voters is participating on a newly formed coalition which will educate the public on and promote the concept of "comparable worth", or equal pay for work of comparable worth.
The Comparable Worth Coalition, spearheaded by the State Status of Women Commission and Working Women Hawaii, will also monitor and assist the work of the Temporary Commission on Comparable Worth, which was signed into law in May, 1984.
The Temporary Commission on Comparable Worth will work to: establish a common understanding of "comparable worth"; determine whether job segregation by sex---admittedly widespread---is a result of discrimination or other factors; and recommend solutions to the isolation of vast numbers of women in low paying jobs.
The 18-member Temporary Commission is chaired by the Legislative Auditor and composed of 8 public sector personnel administrators, 7 representatives of
public employees bargaining and non-bargaining units, the chairperson of the Public Employee Appeals Board, the State Affirmative Action Director and the Director of the UH Industrial Relations Center.
The Temporary Commission, which has met twice since its inception, will gather and analyze the facts, and develop and test its recommendations by May 15, 1985. During its second work phase, the
commission will evaluate Hawaii's Classification and Compensation Systems and examine gender-based job segregation
and wage differentials in Hawaii.
Committee meetings, which are opened to
the public, are scheduled at the
discretion of the Legislative Auditor.
The LWV has long supported the comparable worth concept both locally and nationally. Since the inception of the league in 1920, the league has advocated equal rights and opportunities for all, including equal excess to employment for
minorities and women. Testimony supporting comparable worth in the public sector was presented by Hawaii league
members during the 1984 Legislative Session. Nationally, LWVUS is represented on the National Committee on Pay Equity, a
private sector body serving both
clearinghouse and organizational
functions. Task forces are working on
education, litigation, research,
collective bargaining, and federal
employment.
A reading file on the comparable worth issue is available in the League Office. "Pay Equity: Equal Pay for Work of Comparable Value", a concise overview of national developments published by the LWVUS, can be purchased for 20 cents.
And informal meeting on comparable worth will be held on Friday, November 2, at 12 noon, in the League office. LWV member comments are welcomed by the Temporary Commission and the Legislative Auditor and his staff.
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Summer 1984
Spring 1985
