California Labor Commissioner, California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and The Office of the First Partner Launch Workplace Rights Ambassador Project #EqualPayCA Trainings
The first event will be held in recognition of Black Women’s Equal Pay Day today from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Sacramento—The California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower, together with the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, have partnered to host a series of #EqualPayCA trainings on the Equal Pay Act as part of the Workplace Rights Ambassador Project (WRAP) to provide women and girls with the tools to fight pay discrimination and file claims under California’s Equal Pay Act.
The trainings will be held in conjunction with Equal Pay Days, which recognize how much longer women, and particularly women of color, must work than men to earn the same amount of money. The first event will be held in recognition of Black Women’s Equal Pay Day today, August 31, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The Workplace Rights Ambassador Project is an effort to build a bridge between disenfranchised workers and the Labor Commissioner’s Office. The Office of the First Partner and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls are excited to partner with the California Labor Commissioner’s Office (LCO) to provide additional #EqualPayCA WRAP trainings during Equal Pay Day Months for women of color, and to increase the number of women of color participating in the Ambassador project. Our joint purpose is to ensure pay and opportunities are equally available in every workforce in California while promoting economic justice and full enforcement of California’s labor laws.
“Until we have fully transformed our state, and our nation into a truly equitable foundation from which every single individual can thrive, we are morally, ethically, and spiritually bound to the work required of us to speak, act, and build into existence the equal and collective dream of equality,” said CCSWG Executive Director LaKenya Jordan. “We are so proud to partner with the Office of the First Partner, and the office of the Labor Commissioner to present this community outreach training designed to support workers, specifically women and women of color to gain equal pay in the workplace. We are excited that the LCO has focused this training on providing practical tools for using the law to begin to address this critical issue.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the Labor Commissioner’s Office to ensure that our #EqualPayCA campaign reaches the workers who need it most,” said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “Passing the strongest equal pay laws is only the first step. We must continue do all we can to ensure that every woman in California knows her rights and has the information she needs to get her due.”
Participants will be trained in practical information regarding workplace protections and labor law resources that they can take to their communities. Interested volunteers will work closely with liaisons from the California Labor Commissioner’s Office to train targeted populations and facilitate access to resources, which are especially crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As the descendant of a bracero worker and righteous laborers, I understand the many obstacles workers face in defending their workplace rights,” said Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower. “My office started this project to address these obstacles and to get resources into the hands of workers.”
Information on training presenters as well as how to register for this and future training sessions is posted online at www.women.ca.gov.
About #EqualPayCA
#EqualPayCA is a campaign led by the First Partner in partnership with The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) focused on closing the pay gap in California. California has the strongest equal pay laws in the nation, but passing a law is only the first step—change doesn't happen without education and implementation. So to help close the gap, the #EqualPayCA campaign is promoting and distributing new resources from the CCSWG’s Pay Equity Task Force, raising awareness about the causes and challenges of the pay gap through online education and on the ground events, and challenging businesses to commit to pay equity in the workplace through the CA Pay Equity Pledge.
Media Contacts:
First Partner’s Office: Hannah.Milgrom@gov.ca.gov
California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls: Darcy.Totten@women.ca.gov
California Labor Commissioner’s Office: Communications@dir.ca.gov