Here is Jen Hoffman’s Americans of Conscience checklist for this Sunday, January 13.
https://americansofconscience.com/
Working one’s way through the checklist elicits a host of good feelings. Users are given opportunities to act, make one’s voice heard, and be rejuvenated by the important work of others.
Hoffman provides users with inspirational examples of people’s efforts to make things better for others – through public policy. the courts or simply by pressuring our members of Congress with phone calls and emails.. She encourages users to show their appreciation of these diligent activists with hard copy notes of thanks. One comes away from this impressive tool feeling much better about the state of the country. Good things ARE happening and the checklist provides an opportunity to become a part of the action.
Thanks to the information provided in the checklist, we learn that Gov. Whitmer of Michigan is already having a positive impact on the lives of some Michigan residents. Check out the following:
Gov. Whitmer is on a rollEquality gets a boost in Michigan with a Democrat now in the governor’s seat. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has hit the ground running stepping right up to promote the principles of fairness and equality for two important communities in the state.
She signed an executive order banning discrimination of people in the LGBTQ community in all state employment and contracting positions. These people can no longer be treated differently than their peers in state government and contracting positions or simply not hired due to their sexual orientation. Check out the Washington Blade article below which discusses this important directive.
https://www.washingtonblade.com/2019/01/07/new-michigan-wisconsin-guvs-signs-orders-against-anti-lgbt-bias/
She also signed another executive order requiring equal pay for equal work The pay scale disparity between men and woman has long been recognized and challenged by women’s groups and civil rights organizations. This directive requires that all state and contracted employees be paid the same as those performing the same tasks..
Importantly, the directive also prohibits interviewers from inquiring from an applicant what their salary had been in their previous position. This question helped job interviewers determine what an applicant might be willing to accept and was a typical ploy to keep women’s pay lower than that which men were paid.
Women would come into a job interview with the mind set that receiving a pay offer a little higher than they had earned at their previous position constituted a fair offer. They had no clue that they needed to be offered a huge increase to get on the same pay scale as men performing the same tasks..This hiring question served as a tool to keep women’s pay below that of the men’s and helped to perpetuate the gender pay disparity. Thanks to Whitmer, the question is no longer allowed.
Whitmer’s equal pay for equal work directive is discussed in the article from WNEM and is provided in the link below.
https://www.wnem.com/news/governor-whitmer-signs-executive-directive-securing-equal-pay-in-michigan/article_2a3e92f4-1371-11e9-b03a-8fdb576448ba.html