Repost: Mind the Gap - How One Employer Tackled Pay Equity

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal describes a successful policy implemented at McGill University to close the pay gap between male and female employees. After 13 years and $19 million US dollars, McGill provided equal wages to the 12,000 men and women whom they employ full-time (Murray, 8 July 2014). Their gender-equity program even provided backpay to employees who were considered underpaid according to a new Quebec law. The article explains how the program mathematically determined fair pay:

"The program's goal was to ensure that pay for female-dominated professions was keeping pace with male-dominated ones of equal importance. If administrative assistants were considered as valuable as groundskeepers, the thinking went, the women who jotted down phone messages and kept appointment calendars should be compensated as well as the men working the lawns" (Murray, 8 July 2014).

A similar pay gap between men and women persists in the United States, with some estimates as high as 19% (USDOL as cited in Murray). With federal legislation delayed, states and cities are working to develop their own solutions. In Boston, the Mayor and the Workforce Women's Council lead "100% Talent: The Boston Women's Compact" (www.cityofboston.gov/). Through this initiative, companies such as Suffolk Construction work independently to address equal pay issues.

To learn more about "100% Talent: The Boston Women's Compact," visit http://www.cityofboston.gov/.

To read the full article in The Wall Street Journal, visit http://m.us.wsj.com/.

Repost: Texas State Technical College recognized for successful retention program for women in Architectural Design & Engineering Graphics Program

Urrea, Yanez recognized for developing recruiting plan

Posted: Friday, January 24, 2014 8:06 pm
By Eladio Jaimez TSTC Staff

Edda Urrea, director of Support Services at Texas State Technical College, and Hector Yanez, director of the Engineering Division, have been recognized by the National Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science. They were singled out for developing a retention plan aimed at recruiting and keeping female students in TSTC’s Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics (ADEG) Program, a traditionally male-dominated career track.

The Women in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, Retention Plan was designed as part of the 2013 National Science Foundation-funded WomenTech Educators Training, hosted by the GeoTech Center. It was chosen as one of the top three plans for the training.

As part of the retention plan, students are paired in classroom projects and female tutors are sought to staff computer labs.

“The focus was on increasing and retaining the number of females in the (ADEG) program,” said Urrea, also the Title IX Coordinator.

“One of the components we’re plugging in is incorporating a humanitarian concept.”

Yanez said doing more community projects was part of the plan to recruit and keep female students.

“We started doing more projects involving small municipalities and non-profit organizations,” Yanez said.

The retention plan will also be featured in other private online-learning communities connected with WomenTech Educators Trainings, where other educators can imitate or develop similar plans.

In the past two years, the ADEG program has seen a considerable increase in female students. In 2011, the program was made up of 11 percent female students. In 2013, that number was at 32 percent.

Both credited Equity Advocate Counselor Anna Cortez for having input in the retention plan and the increase in students in non-traditional programs.

Urrea and Yanez’s retention plan can also be used for other college programs.

“We’ve seen a big push and increased numbers in those non-traditional programs in the past couple of years,” Yanez said.

Urrea and Yanez’s successful retention plan will be featured on the training’s private online-learning community.

Visit http://www.valleymorningstar.com to view the original article.

Fwd: The Sky is the Limit for NYC Tradeswomen

From NEW newsletter

June 2011 NEW 2011 Equity Leadership Awards Luncheon 2011 Equity Leadership Tradeswoman Honoree Ana Taveras On June 9th, NEW celebrated the women who build New York City at our annual Luncheon. Over 700 industry leaders and NEW supporters were in attendance to honor the 2011 Equity Leadership Honorees and to celebrate the owners, contractors, unions, and employers who are helping to open doors for NEW graduates every day. "NEW showed me a door that I never knew existed, a door of opportunity. NEW unlocked that door for me, the Laborers opened the door, and I pushed through and marched right in." Ana Taveras, NEW Graduate Laborer, Local 79 Organizing Coordinator, Laborers Eastern Region Organizing Fund Watch Ana tell her story How You Can Help Anthony Berardo, Director of Construction, Ronsco, Inc. and Lizbeth Lasso, NEW Graduate Hire a NEW Graduate for a Short-Term Job NEW has screened and qualified candidates available immediately for temporary job opportunities. Learn more about how NEW can meet your temporary employment needs. "We are a better business because of it." Susan Hayes Cauldwell Wingate Company, LLC The internship at Ronsco was a phenomenal experience. I saw women in the work place and it gave me the confidence I needed." Lizbeth Lasso NEW Graduate Students in NEW shop Learn more about NEW and how you can help Do you want to learn more about NEW? Would you like to meet NEW students and graduates? Contact Jennifer Williford to schedule a tour of NEW's training center or to learn how you can get involved. "Our first step was to visit NEW's headquarters on 20th Street. We were impressed by the classrooms including the carpentry shop and the drywall mockup, but most importantly by the students enrolled in the program that we met that day." Louise Matthews Vice President, Global Real Estate and Facilities Avon Products, Inc. Photo by Kelsy Chauvin© Josefina Calcano Carpenter NYC District Council of Carpenters Before NEW, I didn't know which direction my life was going in. I didn't have a secure job. I always knew that I enjoyed working with my hands and building things. I just wasn't aware that it was a possibility for me to do construction work as a career. I didn't know about NEW. Being at NEW was an awesome experience. I got to meet great women and we bonded. I put down some roots at NEW. It's where I started my journey as a tradeswoman. And it's made a real difference in my life. I have a secure job with benefits and a good pay rate. I can take care of my family. I am working on the World Trade Center Tower 4. It's great to see so many women working on this project. NEW is helping to build New York and women are playing a big role in that. I love being surrounded by women who are in the trades just like me. There should be even more tradeswomen working on job sites, more of us to build New York City. QUICK LINKS Website Donate Mailing List Facebook The Sky is the Limit "Before NEW, the ceiling was a lot lower as far as my earnings, as far as what I could hope to achieve. With this trade, the sky is the limit." Tara Van Ness, NEW Graduate Plumber, Local 1 Hear what other tradeswomen and industry leaders are saying about NEW Watch NEW's film "The Sky is the Limit" NEW Partners with Brooklyn Community Foundation NEW is proud to announce a recent grant award made by the Brooklyn Community Foundation. The Foundation works to improve the lives of people in Brooklyn by strengthening communities through local giving, grantmaking and community service. This support will allow NEW to continue to help women move from poverty to prosperity through a career in the skilled trades. Nontraditional Employment for Women | 243 West 20th Street, New York, NY | (212) 627-6252 | www.new-nyc.org

Repost: Tradeswomen Push for Union Jobs, Equal Pay at Oakland Conference

Tradeswomen Push for Union Jobs, Equal Pay at Oakland Conference

May 05, 2011


By Robert Carlsen and Debra Rubin

Not content to see themselves locked at 2.5% of the national craft union workforce for the past 30 years, more than 625 tradeswomen gathered in Oakland last weekend to learn how to boost those numbers at the first national conference for women in the trades.

Photo by Vicki Hamlin, Tradeswomen Inc.

Photo by Vicki Hamlin, Tradeswomen Inc.

Sean McGarvey, national building trades’ secretary-treasurer

The meeting, co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Dept., included women craft workers from across the country and Canada. It was also the 10th annual Women Building California conference, which, according to conference organizers, never attracted this large an audience.