Ella Does Squamish

Incredible that there is still so much pay inequity between genders!

from: http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/08/20/LibraryStrike/

Men get nearly $6 more hourly for similar work, says union.

By Tom Sandborn
Published: August 20, 2007
http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/08/20/LibraryStrike/print.html

TheTyee.ca

Vancouver city librarians say a key reason they’re still on
the picket line
is a sexist divide in pay rates. Hourly pay for library
jobs filled mostly
by women start at nearly $6 less than jobs of equal value
that happen to be
filled by a majority of men, a study shows.

The 17.5 per cent raise over five years the city is now
offering is only
part of what the union is fighting for, they said.

Spokespeople for CUPE 391, the local that represents city
librarians, told
The Tyee on Thursday night that they were encouraged that
their employer
had agreed to meet for negotiations on Friday, Aug. 17, but
were cautious about how much progress they could make. They said that
although the city’s
press release announcing the new negotiations indicated a
willingness "to
negotiate wage adjustments as a means of addressing wage
issues raised by
library staff," to date the city negotiators have refused
to discuss any of
the local’s four key bargaining demands: pay equity,
improvements for
part-time workers, job security and general benefit
improvements.

Three weeks into the strike, they say the city’s latest
offer falls short
of others already settled in the Lower Mainland, and
includes a proposal to
add a new, low-wage job classification that would hire
workers at reduced
wages to do work currently done by library assistants.

"Pay equity is a human rights issue," said Laura Safarian,
a librarian at
VPL’s downtown main branch, and a member of her local’s
bargaining committee.

"Canada has signed on to international agreements that
recognize the human
rights implications of gender bias in wages. This statement
from the city,
awkward as it is, represents the first time we’ve seen any
recognition at
all of the issue from the employer. We have made
significant compromises in
our negotiations already, including a reduction in the
special wage
adjustment we’re asking for, for all professional
librarians," Safarian
added….

whole article at :
http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/08/20/LibraryStrike/


Penney Kome, author and journalist
http://penneykome.ca
Editor, Straight Goods, http://straightgoods.com

Men get nearly $6 more hourly for similar work, says union.By Tom SandbornPublished: August 20, 2007Vancouver city librarians say a key reason they’re still onthe picket line is a sexist divide in pay rates. Hourly pay for libraryjobs filled mostly by women start at nearly $6 less than jobs of equal valuethat happen to be filled by a majority of men, a study shows.The 17.5 per cent raise over five years the city is nowoffering is only part of what the union is fighting for, they said.Spokespeople for CUPE 391, the local that represents citylibrarians, told The Tyee on Thursday night that they were encouraged thattheir employer had agreed to meet for negotiations on Friday, Aug. 17, butwere cautious about how much progress they could make. They said thatalthough the city’s press release announcing the new negotiations indicated awillingness "to negotiate wage adjustments as a means of addressing wageissues raised by library staff," to date the city negotiators have refusedto discuss any of the local’s four key bargaining demands: pay equity,improvements for part-time workers, job security and general benefitimprovements.Three weeks into the strike, they say the city’s latestoffer falls short of others already settled in the Lower Mainland, andincludes a proposal to add a new, low-wage job classification that would hireworkers at reduced wages to do work currently done by library assistants."Pay equity is a human rights issue," said Laura Safarian,a librarian at VPL’s downtown main branch, and a member of her local’sbargaining committee." has signed on to international agreements thatrecognize the human rights implications of gender bias in wages. This statementfrom the city, awkward as it is, represents the first time we’ve seen anyrecognition at all of the issue from the employer. We have madesignificant compromises in our negotiations already, including a reduction in thespecial wage adjustment we’re asking for, for all professionallibrarians," Safarian added….whole article at enney Kome, author and journalistEditor, Straight Goods,