Local 1000 Vice President Tamekia N. Robinson named to California Pay Equity Task Force
Appointment reflects leadership on gender equality and economic justice

As a reflection of her unwavering commitment to gender equality and economic justice, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG) has appointed SEIU Local 1000 Vice President for Organizing/Representation Tamekia N. Robinson to the California Pay Equity Task Force.

Robinson took her place at the task force’s first meeting on July 22 to begin the work of exploring the issue of gender pay equity and finding real solutions. The task force will engage employees, employers, policymakers and other stakeholders on this critical economic issue.

Robinson’s appointment reflects her fierce advocacy for gender equity and developing women leaders throughout her tenure at Local 1000, which has an all-woman leadership team and more than fifty percent woman representation among our bargaining unit chairs and board of directors.

She has motivated women workers to win elected office positions through her support of SEIU and the Women’s Campaign Forum’s “She Should Run” initiative and her one-on-one mentoring of women leaders all across California. And Robinson developed the Leadership Apprentice Program for Stewards (LAPS) training for Local 1000, which helps train women working for the State of California in the skills of workplace representation.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the pay disparity between women and men in California stands at 89 percent. That gap worsens for women of color, with Latinas and African American women making 54 percent and 63 percent of white men’s earnings, respectively.

“This is unacceptable,” said Robinson. “Not only are women paid less for equal work, the disparity grows when you look at women of color. We have to find the reasons why pay disparity still exists in 2016 and demand change. I am committed to helping identify the problems and developing solutions to combat this issue. I look forward to working with my fellow task force members and the commission in the months ahead.”