PRESS RELEASE DETAIL

Office of the Mayor-President


For release: IMMEDIATELY

Release Date: 03/10/2017

Mayor Broome pledges continued support to help close gender pay gap

Office of Mayor-President
City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge

SHARON WESTON BROOME
Mayor-President


March 10, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Dr. Tamiara Wade, Asst. Chief Administrative Officer, (225) 389-3100
Michelle McCalope, Communications Office: (225) 389-7957


BATON ROUGE – In celebration of Women’s History Month and in conjunction with the Governor’s Equal Pay Summit being held today, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome pledges her continued support to help close the gender pay gap.

According to the 2015 U.S. Census, fulltime working men in Baton Rouge earn 1.6 times more than fulltime working women. The average salary for a male is $61,456 versus a woman at $38, 978. City Parish employee data shows the average salary for a male employee is $43,489 and the average salary for a female employee is $34,028.

“I have been a long time champion of equal pay and I will continue to do everything that I can to raise awareness and develop solutions to address this issue,” Mayor Broome said. “I’m also glad to support our Governor and First Lady’s efforts too because when we as a city and state come together, businesses and employees benefit --it’s a win-win for everyone.”

Some efforts are already in place in the City Parish to address the issue. Salary history questions were removed from City Parish employment applications about 15 years ago, according to Human Resources Director Brian Bernard. Our Human Resources department strongly discourages employees from asking salary questions during the interviewing process. Also, all classified employees, both men and women, are paid the same in accordance with the Rules Governing Employees in the Classified Service.

The Mayor is also committed to working with the City Parish to acknowledge the critical role businesses play in reducing the national pay gap; review hiring and promotion processes to remove bias and structural barriers; identify best practices; and partner with officials on the local, state and federal level to promote more equitable pay.

Mayor Broome believes that a more level playing field increases productivity and decreases turnover and when women are paid equally the whole family benefits. She plans to continue to fight to help end the wage gap.

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