Service + Solidarity Spotlight: LCLAA Speaks Out on Latina Equal Pay Day

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

The pay gap is one of the most visible challenges Latinas face in the workplace, and it goes beyond low-wage workers, affecting Latinas at all levels. Today is Latina Equal Pay Day, and this year Latinas had to work nearly 10 more months on average in order for their pay to match White male workers.

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) is fighting for an economy in which Latinas’ potential and success are not limited by their gender. On Wednesday, LCLAA held an empowering online webinar: Beyond the Pay Gap: Building an Economy that Works for Trabajadoras. This event examined the various inequalities both in and out of the workplace that contribute to the pay gap.

“Today, we observe this day by highlighting the challenges that Latinas face, both in and outside the workplace which contribute to the pay gap,” said LCLAA National President Yanira Merino (LIUNA). “As Latina and Latino trade unionists, we cannot allow a demographic that makes up nearly 8% of our national labor force to be systematically underpaid. We will therefore continue to fight for equal pay to raise awareness of the Latina pay gap among our union siblings and leadership.”