27-03-2025
Johnstown AAUW members rally for equal pay
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Dorene Miller said Tuesday that after she retired, having spent more than two decades as a library director, she was replaced six months later by a man who received pay almost 20% higher than she earned in the same position.
Her experience is part of a longtime trend of women often being paid less than men. For example, women in Pennsylvania earned 82.4% of men's wages in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Miller and other members of the American Association of University Women's Johnstown chapter held events Tuesday to bring attention to the issue on national Equal Pay Day. They gathered at the offices of state Reps. Jim Rigby, R-Ferndale, and Frank Burns, D-East Taylor Township.
Miller said there needs to be 'more accountability' in making sure that wages are equal.
Neither Rigby nor Burns were at their offices since the Pennsylvania House of Representatives was in session.
'We set a meeting up for next week with them,' Rigby said during a telephone interview. 'We'll listen to what they have to offer and I can ask my questions to them.'
The AAUW members offered their support to amendments that are being considered by the Pennsylvania General Assembly regarding the Pennsylvania Equal Pay Law that was enacted in 1959.
The proposed legislation deals with several issues, including pay transparency in job postings; definitions such as for comparable work, working conditions and wages; employee's rights; the right of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry to inspect payrolls; and increasing fines from the $50-to-$200 range to $2,500 to $5,000.
Deanna Haddle, public policy chair of AAUW Johnstown, said the amendments would 'put teeth into the original bill,' in her opinion.
