New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Creates Task Force on Fair and Equal Pay for all New Mexicans

January 28, 2009 -- SANTA FE - New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today signed an executive order creating the Task Force on Fair and Equal Pay. The Task Force will examine gender, ethnic and racial pay equity and job segregation within state government and recommend specific solutions to eliminate gaps.

The Task Force is also charged with developing requirements for entities holding contracts with the State to study and remedy any pay equity and job segregation issues within their own businesses. Additionally, it will also develop a system for employers in the private sector to use to measure and remedy inequities “Pay equity has always been a priority of mine and it’s reflected in my appointments to top cabinet, boards and commissions,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “And while a recent survey found gender pay inequities in state government are less than the national average, we can do better in ensuring that all New Mexicans have a fair shot at equal pay and job opportunities."

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Dr. Martha Burk, the Governor’s Senior Advisor on Women’s Issues, will chair the Task Force.

Last summer, Governor Richardson directed Dr. Burk to survey six state agencies and evaluate if New Mexico state government pays men and women equally. She found that while nationally women make 77 cents to every a dollar a man makes, pay gaps in the departments she studied were less than national averages, not all gender pay gaps favored men, and gender pay gaps produced no apparent “glass ceilings.” The study can be found at www.governor.state.nm.us.

“As a long-time defender of equal pay for equal work, I know that New Mexico has made great progress. The Task Force on pay equity is a way to ensure that we identify and use best practices to close or eliminate gaps in pay and any potential for job segregation, Lt. Governor Diane D.

Denish said. “We often think of pay equity as a gender issue, but we have to remember it’s a human rights issue."

The text of the Executive Order follows: EXECUTIVE ORDER 2009-004 FAIR AND EQUAL PAY FOR ALL NEW MEXICANS INITIATIVE WHEREAS, pay equity gaps exist when men and women do the same or comparable work yet are paid disparate wages; WHEREAS, job segregation refers to a situation where any given job title or category is predominately, or totally, held by one gender or the other; WHEREAS, the negative impact of pay inequity and job segregation has a significant impact in the State of New Mexico and affects thousands of residents; WHEREAS, the Richardson Administration has taken major steps to address pay gaps between men and women and to reduce job segregation. Such steps include appointing the New Mexico Pay Equity Task Force in 2003 to identify issues surrounding pay equity in the State of New Mexico, raising the State minimum wage, and supporting unions; WHEREAS, the goal of pay equity is not to lower the wages any group of workers receives, but rather to create fair and equitable wages for all employees, regardless of gender or race; WHEREAS, in a further effort to identify and combat pay inequity and job segregation, Governor Richardson appointed a Senior Policy Advisor on Women’s Issues and ordered a study of State classified employees’ wages be conducted. This study evaluated aggregate data on employment in the classified system and pay by gender and job category. Data was collected from a select number of executive agencies, ranging in size and number of employees, and resulted in the collection of valuable baseline data.

WHEREAS, the results of this study indicate that while some pay inequity does exist in the State of New Mexico classified system, gaps in pay and the existence of glass ceilings are significantly smaller in New Mexico when compared to national statistics; WHEREAS, while it is important to establish pay equity within the State system, it is also fair and reasonable to require the same for those entities that seek valuable contracts with the State of New Mexico.

NOW THEREFORE, I, Bill Richardson, Governor of the State of New Mexico, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the State of New Mexico, do hereby declare that it shall be the policy of the State of New Mexico to identify and combat pay inequity and job segregation.

I DIRECT the Governor’s Task Force on Fair and Equal Pay (“Task Force”) is hereby established as follows: 1. The Task Force shall be chaired by Dr. Martha Burk, the Governor’s Senior Advisor on Women’s Issues.

a. One member shall be the State Auditor, or designee; b. One member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House; c. One member of the New Mexico Senate, appointed by the President Pro Tempore.

d. One member shall be the Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration, or designee; e. One member shall be the Cabinet Secretary of the General Services Department, or designee; f. One member shall be the Cabinet Secretary for the Workforce Solutions Department, or designee; g. One member shall be the Director of the State Personnel Office, or designee; h. One member shall be the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women, or designee; i. One member who represents private industry in New Mexico, appointed by the Governor; j. One member who represents a union organization in New Mexico, appointed by the Governor; 2. The Task Force shall research and consider specific recommendations for legislative, regulatory, and other initiatives to further investigate, close or eliminate gaps in pay and job segregation for individuals employed in the State classified system; develop training and other resources for State agencies to effectively close or eliminate any gaps in pay and job segregation; develop systems for private employers to use to measure and remedy possible pay gaps and job segregation; and develop goals and timelines in which the State of New Mexico may close or eliminate pay gaps in the classified system and reduce job segregation.

3. The Task Force shall also research and report on methods and procedures for requiring entities holding contracts with the State to study and remedy any pay equity and job segregation issues within their own businesses. This study of the Task Force could include the creation of reasonable exceptions to this requirement based on the number of employees at any given business and other factors. The Study should also include proposed timelines for implementation.

4. The State Personnel Office shall provide administrative staff and support to the Task Force.

5. The term of each Task Force member shall be from the date of appointment until twenty (20) days after the adjournment of the regular session of the Legislature in 2010, unless otherwise determined by the Governor.

6. The Task Force shall convene at least four (4) times, but may convene as frequently as necessary to accomplish the objectives of the Task Force.

7. The Task Force shall consult with public and private individuals, experts, and other entities as deemed necessary for the development of its recommendations and shall consider input from the general public in the development of any proposals.

8. The Task Force shall prepare and present recommendations for the Governor’s consideration no later than September 4, 2009, unless otherwise directed by the Governor.

9. The Task Force shall be an advisory board that makes recommendations to the Governor and in no event shall it make final decisions regarding policy.

10. Task Force members shall serve voluntarily and shall receive no pay for their services, nor shall they be reimbursed for travel or subsistence expenses, unless otherwise provided by law.

I FURTHER DIRECT the State Personnel Office to determine the feasibility of designating one employee whose responsibility would be to interface with the Senior Advisor on Women’s Issues to carry out a study of pay equity in all State departments in order to monitor pay equity and job segregation within the State classified system and report at least annually to the Director of the State Personnel Office and the Governor.

THIS ORDER supersedes any other previous orders, proclamations, or directives in conflict.

This Executive Order shall take effect immediately and shall remain in effect until such time as it is rescinded by the Governor.

Source: New Mexico Governor