The wage inequity is a problem throughout the state, Laura Fortman, executive director of the Maine Women's Lobby, told participants at a rally in the Cross State Office Building. It's an issue about alleviating poverty. On average, American women earn 74 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Maine ranks 21st among the states, with women earning 73 cents, according to labor activists. The gap exists because the types of jobs women are likely to hold pay less than those commonly held by men, activists say.
Maine is among a handful of states that have a pay-equity law on their books.
In 1965, the Legislature passed a law requiring women to receive equal pay for equal work, but the state Labor Department never implemented it. This year the Labor Department developed rules for Maine's equal-pay law, which officially went into effect this week. The state will remind employers that the law requires equal pay for equal work and will help them do self-assessments of their pay structure. If a company does an annual assessment that meets state standards, Fortman said, it will not be subject to complaints of gender inequity by employees. If an employer does not conduct the assessments and an employee proves she has been discriminated against, the department can implement a range of sanctions, including allowing the employee to go to court to sue for lost wages and court costs.