TITLE
RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EQUAL PAY ACT OF 1963; DECLARING THE 10TH DAY OF JUNE, BEGINNING JUNE 10, 2013 AND EACH YEAR THEREAFTER AS EQUAL PAY ACT OF 1963 DAY; DECLARING THE COUNTY�S ADHERENCE TO THE PRINCIPLES AND IDEALS OF THE EQUAL PAY ACT OF 1963 AND URGES THE COUNTY MAYOR AND THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR TO ENSURE THAT THEIR RESPECTIVE PAY PRACTICES ADHERE TO SAID PRINCIPLES; DECLARING THE COUNTY�S INTENT TO PROMOTE EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY; URGING THE COUNTY MAYOR AND THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR TO EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT PAY INEQUITY; DECLARING THE COUNTY�S RECOGNITION OF THE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS WOMEN HAVE MADE TO THIS COUNTRY�S LABOR FORCE; URGING THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR TO RECOGNIZE THE FULL VALUE OF WOMEN�S SKILLS AND SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LABOR FORCE

BODY
WHEREAS, on June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which sought to end wage discrimination on the basis of sex; and
WHEREAS, this landmark piece of federal anti-discrimination law was one of the very first to address sex-based pay disparities; and
WHEREAS, in 1963, women were paid 59 cents for every dollar earned by men; and
WHEREAS, fifty years later, our Country has made a great deal of progress, but there is still much to be done to eliminate sex-based pay disparities; and
WHEREAS, women today make up nearly half of the nation�s workforce, most homes have two working parents, and 60 percent of all women work full-time; and
WHEREAS, according to statistics released in 2012 by the U.S. Census Bureau, year-round, full-time working women in 2011 earned only 77% of the earnings of year-round, full-time working men; and
WHEREAS, on average, women today earn just a mere 17 cents on the dollar more than in 1963, when the Equal Pay Act was enacted; and
WHEREAS, on average, minority women earn even less, African American women are paid only 64 cents and Hispanic women are paid only 55 cents, for every dollar that white men earn; and
WHEREAS, because women earn less, many are forced to work longer hours to earn the same pay as their counterpart male colleagues; and
WHEREAS, fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs, while enhancing the economy; and
WHEREAS, this Board wishes to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by raising awareness about pay inequality for women and by encouraging Miami-Dade County�s private and public sectors to adhere to the principles and ideals of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and to promote equal pay for women,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and declares the 10th day of June, beginning June 10, 2013 and each year thereafter as Equal Pay Act of 1963 Day in Miami-Dade County.
Section 2. Declares the County�s adherence to the principles and ideals of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and urges the County Mayor and the public and private sector to ensure that their respective pay practices adhere to said principles.
Section 3. Declares the County�s intent to promote equal pay for women throughout the County and urges the County Mayor and the public and private sector to educate our community about pay inequity.
Section 4. Declares the County�s recognition of the significant contributions women have made to this Country�s labor force and urges the public and private sector to recognize the full value of women�s skills and significant contributions to the labor force.