Michael Mandel is the only male member of the Pima County/Tucson Women's Commission, which advises the City Council and Board of Supervisors on the status of women.

Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor Construction
West-Press
Printing Health Care
CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps Health Care
Sierra Tucson
Eating Disorders Program Coordinator

Arizona does a better job than most states in compensating women fairly and equally, but anything short of full equality is unacceptable.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women earned 77 percent of what men earned in 2005 nationally, on average, for performing substantially equal work. The picture is moderately better in Arizona, which ranks second in the nation for our earnings ratio: Arizona women earn 83.8 percent of what Arizona men earn.

The pay gap has closed considerably nationwide since 1982. Still, at the current rate of closing the gap, women will have to wait until 2057 to earn equal pay, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research. The American Association of University Women reports that Arizona women fared slightly better than women in most other states, gaining about 14 percent from 1989 to 2005.

Pay inequality has been well-documented for decades and prompted Congress to pass the Equal Pay Act in 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. The latest federal effort to address pay inequality, the Fair Pay Act, has been floating around Congress since 1994.

Thanks to a disastrous May 29 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, Congress may have renewed motivation to finally pass new legislation that guarantees fair and equal pay for equal work.

I won't hold my breath. While we wait for Congress to debate war funding and other matters of national importance, women continue to suffer the consequences of not being fairly compensated for their work. And thanks to the male majority on the Supreme Court, women have fewer opportunities to seek reparation for this discrimination.

BusinessWeek magazine reports in its June 18 issue that the Supreme Court's decision is "impractical and a death knell to many compensation lawsuits."

In what is becoming a routine 5-4 split, the Supreme Court ruled that pay discrimination claims made under Title VII must be filed within 180 days of discriminatory pay adjustments. The case in question was that of Lilly M. Ledbetter, a nearly 20-year supervisor at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., who made significantly less than her male counterparts, including some with less experience.

Goodyear had a well-documented habit of discriminating against women. One of Ledbetter's female colleagues actually earned less than a man she supervised. The discrimination had nothing to do with performance, either. Ledbetter received a "top performance" award the year before she left Goodyear.

Noticeable pay discrimination develops over time, as small discrepancies early in one's career become additive as time wears on. Pay discrimination based on sex becomes more pronounced over time because pay increases are calculated as a percentage of current salary.

I am proud to serve on the Pima County/Tucson Women's Commission. We adopted a position statement last September that affirms our commitment to achieving pay equity. We support equality of treatment in all aspects of employment and oppose discrimination based on gender or any other protected status.

In 2005, working with the Tucson Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, we recognized several local businesses with awards for their commitment to pay equity.

The Supreme Court's decision ought to serve as a rallying cry for all of us, women and men, that pay discrimination is real, pervasive and must be eliminated. Let's continue to reward companies that treat women fairly and equally, and let's investigate, expose and punish those companies that persist in denying equal pay for equal work.

Boycotting Goodyear tires is a good place to start.