MAYOR CARLOS GIMENEZ ENDORSES EQUAL PAY MIAMI-DADE CAMPAIGN

Miami-Dade County asks business leaders to make pay equity a priority

MIAMI (August 25, 2017)  Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has endorsed the Equal Pay Miami-Dade campaign launched by The Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade in July 2017.  Mayor Gimenez names pay equity as a priority issue for the County, recognizes it as essential to Miami-Dade’s economic growth, and asks business leaders to join his efforts to close the wage gap. One in five women in Miami-Dade County lives in poverty. But the poverty rate among these women would drop by 57 percent if equal pay existed today.

“I’m proud to stand for equal pay, and I recognize its ability to improve conditions for many Miami-Dade families. That is why I am acting to make our County the best place for women, and all Miamians, to work and live,” says Mayor Gimenez.   

In comments directed specifically to business leaders, Mayor Gimenez says, “Help Miami-Dade County and our partner, The Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade, effect social change for women through our campaign, Equal Pay Miami-Dade.”

A multi-year, collaborative campaign involving specific, measurable actions designed to create long-term systemic change, Equal Pay Miami-Dade has the potential to positively impact a wide range of issues affecting women in poverty, including affordable housing, childcare, transportation, and healthcare.  

“We are grateful to Mayor Gimenez for his support of the Equal Pay Miami-Dade campaign and for his commitment to cut poverty in half for women in this community,” says The Women’s Fund Board Chair Janet Kyle Altman. “To have the County’s support so early in our campaign is a signal of the importance of this issue. We invite all business leaders to join the Mayor and other leaders who have already shown their support by signing the Equal Pay Pledge.”

Businesses, organizations and individuals interested in getting involved in Equal Pay Miami-Dade can visit EqualPayMiamiDade.org.

It was also announced by Mayor Gimenez that The Women’s Fund has been chosen to collaborate with the Mayor’s Office and The Miami-Dade County Commission for Women to implement the Miami-Dade Women’s Compact.  The Compact seeks to engage businesses to commit to pay equity, and report where they stand on implementing equal pay.

Early private sector commitments to equal pay have come from Kaufman Rossin, Her Company Inc., Barbara Jean Raskin, CPA, The Spinnaker Group, All-In-One Mailshop, The New Tropic, Studio Two Branding Agency, LLC, Drinkhouse Fire & Ice, The Miami Group, and Modern Women.

In addition to the Miami-Dade County Office of the Mayor, community collaborators include FIU Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, Miami-Dade County Commission for Women, Catalyst Miami, Center for Social Change, League of Women Voters, YWCA, Pumps, Pearls and Portfolios, Majestic’s Youth & Arts Academy and The Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

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WHY EQUAL PAY

  • Communities that support gender pay equity are likely to experience less strain on health resources, better educational outcomes, an increase in public sector resources given that less will be spent on programs for the poor, enhanced household incomes and greater competitiveness in the global economy.
  • Companies that enact gender pay equity are likely to experience higher employee retention, access to a larger and more skilled talent pool, an increase in productivity associated with higher employee morale, greater customer loyalty and an enhanced corporate reputation.
  • Individuals that support gender pay equity can positively impact a wide range of social issues through this one effort, affect change in the direction of our country, and improve the quality of life for their mom, sister, best friend, daughter, or aunt who may be working hard but still living in poverty.

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S FUND MIAMI-DADE

The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade exists to create a community where all women and girls have equal access, opportunity and influence. We believe that Miami-Dade County can be a community where all women and girls have equal access, opportunity, and influence. That is our vision, and we work every day to make it our reality.  We know that, when we invest in women, we are investing in the prosperity and the future of our community. For more information, please visit womensfundmiami.org.