On Equal Pay Day Montana Governor Bullock Asks Business to Close Wage Gap

Today, on Equal Pay Day, Governor Steve Bullock and the Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force are asking Montana employers to pledge to close the wage gap in Montana. Employers can sign the pledge at http://www.equalpay.mt.gov.

By signing the pledge, employers commit to implement two initiatives to promote pay equity in their company. Initiatives could include: providing flexible work schedules, encouraging diversity in hiring pools, and allowing for wage transparency.

"Montanans believe that we should earn equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender," Bullock said. "I’m asking Montana employers to show their commitment to closing the wage gap by signing this pledge and instituting changes in their organizations to help Montana reach this goal."

Last week, Bullock and the Task Force hosted the first ever Equal Pay Summit in Bozeman. At the Summit, attendees took part in discussions about ways to overcome obstacles to closing the wage gap and strategies for including more women in leadership positions.

At a meeting preceding the Summit, the Task Force unanimously recommended that Bullock include this pledge as a part of his overall efforts to eliminate salary bias based on gender.

Bullock launched the Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force in June of 2013 to devise recommendation on policies and actions to ensure that Montana workers earn equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender.

Women in the U.S. earn, on average, 77 cents on the dollar for doing the same work as men. However, in Montana, women earn just 67 percent of what men earn.

Equal Pay Day marks how far into following the year that women must work to earn what men earned the previous year alone, based on the average national wage gap. However, at 40th place for pay equity, Montana women must work until May to catch up with their male counterparts.