This is a guest post that is part of a series featuring women leaders for Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, which falls on August 7, 2018.

Amanda Farias, President of Women of Color for Progress

Black women are over represented in the most poorly paid jobs in the nation. Unfortunately, Black women’s share of the low-wage workforce (10.7 percent) is much higher than their share of the overall workforce (6.1 percent). Even in these low-wage occupations that typically pay $10.50 per hour or less, Black women working full time, year round experience a wage gap, making only 63 cents for every dollar white, non-Hispanic men make.

As a proud, dues paying Teamster. I know and understand that union membership is especially important for closing the wage gap for Black women, people of color and working families across this nation and NY State. Among full time workers, the wage gap between Black women and white men who are union workers is more than 20 percent SMALLER than the wage gap among non-union workers (27 cents for union workers, compared to 34 cents for non-union workers). We need to ensure that we keep supporting and encouraging the diversity of union membership and support policies that protect workers rights.