North Country Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, says several bills she co-sponsored in a legislative package that passed Tuesday by the New York State Assembly are aimed at ensuring women earn equal pay for equal work.

The legislative package coincided with Equal Pay Day, April 4, which marks the additional days into the new year women must work to reach the same amount their male counterparts did in the prior year.

“Women have been working far too hard for far too long without fair and equal compensation,” Assemblywoman Jenne said. “The wage gap hurts everyone. It’s an injustice that needs to be corrected to level the playing field.”

On average, women across the country earn 80 cents for every dollar a man does. For African-American and Hispanic women, who earn 63 cents and 54 cents, respectively, this disparity is even starker. The pay gap costs women hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of their lifetime.

Current laws against wage discrimination have failed to bridge the gap. New York is ahead of the curve, but women only make 89 cents for every dollar a man makes here.

To ensure women are better protected under the law, the Assembly legislation includes the New York State Fair Pay Act to address and enforce pay equity, including broadening equal pay protections to include equivalent jobs and ensuring that traditional female and minority jobs are not undervalued (A.4696).

Legislation co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Jenne would also implement a state policy of wage equality for state and municipal employees, as well as direct the Civil Service Commission to study and publish a report evaluating wage disparities among public employees in order to establish where and how inequities exist (A.658, A.2549).

The package also includes a measure to ensure that the state complies with the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and gives public employees a private right of action to sue for compensation and enforce equal pay disparities (A.2425).

Assemblywoman Jenne said there is a long history of men and women working side by side in the North Country from the family farms in the early 19th Century and women working in manufacturing at Alcoa's Massena Operations during World War II to the modern workplace.

“Closing the pay gap is absolutely critical,” Assemblywoman Jenne said. “Every woman doing the same job and putting in the same work as a man deserves to be equally compensated. I’ll never stop fighting for full women’s equality.”