Mineola, NY-Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi today announced a comprehensive plan to achieve equal pay for women in Nassau County government, proposing raises for predominantly female 911 operators who have historically been paid less than their male counterparts in fire communications. Joined by Legislative Majority Leader Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury), Executive Director of Women on the Job Lillian McCormick, Jane D'Amico, President of the CSEA, as well as advocates and representatives of women's organizations, the County Executive proclaimed "Equal Pay Day in Nassau County" to draw attention to long-standing pay inequities and unveiled a series of initiatives.

As Americans prepare to mark "National Equal Pay Day" on April 19th, Mr. Suozzi announced that he was presenting to the Nassau County Legislature a Memorandum of Understanding for a settlement that would end the historic pay inequity for 911 (CB) operators, almost all of whom are women and who get paid less than fire communication operators, all of whom are men. He also announced that the County is undertaking a comprehensive review of its compensation structure and has released a Request for Proposal for a company that will do this compensation/position review of all civil service titles, classifications and job specifications and responsibilities, and return with tangible proposals and recommendations. This is the first time in 45 years that such a study is being undertaken. The RFP is available on the County website www.nassaucountyny.gov under "Doing Business."

"Today we are calling for equal pay for equal work - it's the right thing to do," said Suozzi. "I commend Women on the Job and the CSEA for their vigilance in helping get this done - with this settlement, a core group of women will achieve pay equity now, and many more may benefit once our comprehensive study is complete."

"This has been a long time coming," said Majority Leader Judy Jacobs. "I am committed to equality for all and equal pay for all."

"We are encouraged by today's announcement. Fair pay is the number one issue facing working women and we continue to look to the public sector to correct the patterns and practices of pay inequity and set the example for the private sector," said Ms. McCormick. "We commend our County Executive for addressing the issue of pay equity specifically for the CB operations and for his commitment to undertaking such an expansive review of compensation countywide."

"This is a major victory for CSEA and the host of other organizations that have been fighting for years for pay equity in female dominated jobs," said Ms. D'Amico. "I applaud the CE for his initiative and pledge the support of this union for carrying out this mission."

In laying out his plan, the County Executive also voiced support for the New York State Fair Pay Bill, which would amend the state labor law to require employers to pay equal wages to employees whose jobs are comparable in skills, working conditions and responsibilities regardless of sex, race or national origin.

To help steer this series of initiatives, Mr. Suozzi appointed an Advisory Committee on Compensation and Pay Equity. The Committee is chaired by Jo-Ann Goldson, Director of Human Resources for Nassau County and is comprised of: Chief Administration Officer John Donnelly; Helena Williams, Deputy County Executive for Compliance; Chief of Staff Arda Nazerian; Ruth Markovitz, Chief Legal Counsel in the County Attorney's Office; Mark Young, Director of the Budget Office; Karl Kampe, Executive Director of Civil Service; Lillian McCormick of Women on the Job; and Jane D'Amico of the CSEA.