AAUW Bennington Branch: Celebrate Advances in Pay Equity
A year ago this month, Governor Phil Scott signed into law legislation that moves Vermont a step further to pay equity. On Monday, May 13, the Bennington Branch of the American Association of University Women will host a public meeting to celebrate a stubborn victory that will have an enduring impact on the economic lives of Vermont workers, particularly women. The meeting at the Bennington Free Library will begin at 7 p.m. The statute prohibits employers from asking job candidates for their salary history, thereby breaking the pattern of chaining future salaries to often-low past salaries. It is now imbedded in Vermont Labor Law as 21 V.S.A. 495m. The Bennington Branch of AAUW collaborated with national AAUW and with the Vermont Commission on Women (VCW) to press legislative committees to advance this bill into law.
At the meeting, Cary Brown, VCW executive director, will speak about the work to improve the lives of girls and women in Vermont and their priorities for the year ahead.
Women in Vermont still face inequities in earnings, employment, safety, leadership and many other areas. The VCW is the only entity in our state that explicitly considers the broad implications of state policy and budget priorities for women. This independent nonpartisan state commission is governed by 16 commissioners and an advisory council that includes an AAUW representative from the Brattleboro Branch.