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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2014)
Page 18 ^'Portland Observer Black History Month Februar 26, 2014 New Prices Effective May 1,2010 Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG $45.00 A sm all distance/travel charge m ay be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With O ther Services): $25.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool): $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139 Chair or Recliner $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services): $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet -T'x Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 Uproar should be about more than Equal Pay for Women We’ve got a long way to go, baby by S am P izzigati W h e n G e n e ra l M o to rs nam ed M a ry B a r ra th e c o m p a n y ’s n e w ch ief executive o f ficer in D ecem ber, the an n o u n ce m e n t m ade in stan t h ead lin es. N o w o m an had e v er steered a m ajor global a u to m a k e r. But the hurrahs fo r GM ’ s historic hire turned into hoots o f derision w hen a com pany filing revealed its new ch ief e x ecu tiv e’s pay. The veteran auto industry ex- ecutive is m aking $4.4 m illion this year. T hat tidy sum am ounts to about h alf the total pay B arra’s C E O pre- d ecesso r took hom e. G eneral M o- tors, critics charge, is underpaying its first w om an c h ie f exec. . T hese charges quickly shoved GM into dam age-control m o d e.T h e c o m p an y ’s first response: a state- m ent designed to “dispel any no- tion o f pay in eq u ity .” T he $4 .4 m illion 2014 pay figure for M ary B arra, the au to m ak er pro- “ S p e c ific lo n g -te rm in c e n tiv e com pensation num bers,” w ould have to w ait until A pril, the co m pany explained. T his vague initial response did little to calm the w aters. In quick o rd e r, G M re le n te d , re le asin g ch ap ter and verse on B arra’s co m plete 2014 pay package. T he a u to m a k er’s new C E O , it turns out, stands to take hom e $ 14.4 m illion this y ear once long-term in- c e n tiv es g et facto red in. T h a t’s roughly 6 0 percent m ore than her p re d e ce sso r, B arra’s total 2014 com pensation, G M board ch air T im Solso assured the c o m p an y ’s critics, w ould be “in line” w ith h er auto industry peers, “T he c o m p an y ’s perform ance will ultim ately determ ine how m uch she is paid,” Solso explained. So C E O Barra will receive an extra $10 m illion ifG M “p erform s” ? But w hat about the m en and w om en w ho m ake G M ’s autos and trucks? H ow m uch w ill those w orkers re- ceive for G M ’s 2014 “perform ance” ? nounced, d id n ’t include h er long- term incentives. H ow m uch w ould these rew ards to tal? G M w o u ld n ’t say exactly. W e w o n ’t know that until G M releases annual profit-sharing num - bers next w inter. W e do know that G M ’s 4 8 ,5 0 0 hourly w orkers will receive, fo r the c o m p an y ’s 2013 perform ance, up to $7,500 each in profit-sharing checks. T hese checks, the D etroit N ew s observes, am ount to little m ore than “a pseudo-annual raise.” G M ’s vet eran hourly w orkers “h a v en ’t go t ten a real raise fo r the past d ecad e.” A nd new ly hired w orkers? U nder G M ’ s tw o-tiered w age system , these new com ers start out “at h a lf the hourly rate o f veteran em p lo y ees.” In 2 0 1 4 , c h im e s in C B S M oney W atch, G M C E O M ary Barra w ill rake in 329 tim es w hat the av er age auto industry w orker takes home. W om en com prise about 21 percent o f auto w orkers. The first-year w ork ers at G M am ong them w ill take hom e less in a y ear than M ary B arra m akes in a day. T his pay gap betw een B arra and G M ’s ra n k -an d -filed o esn ’t seem to em barrass T im Solso and his G M board m ates, not anyw here nearly as m uch as the m uch tinier gap crit ics initially saw betw een the pay o f B arra and h er m ale predecessor. W e should all be pleased, o f course, that G M ’s directors felt such an in te n se need to c o rre c t that “ m isp ercep tio n ” they w ere u n d er paying their first fem ale C EO . T he pressure — and em barrass m ent — that G M ’s top brass felt helps show that years o f struggle against sexist pay inequities at the top o f the corporate ladder are b ear ing fruit. N o m ajor A m erican corporation, this episode reveals quite clearly, can afford these days to get p u b licly branded as an em p lo y er that d iscrim inates against w om en. O ur society has indeed com e a long way. But the flap over B arra’s pay also show s how far w e have yet to go. M o st w o m en w ill n e v e r sit in a c o rp o ra te e x e c u tiv e su ite. N e ith e r w ill m o st m en. T h e y ’ll w o rk re g u la r jo b s , d o in g w o rk th a t g e n e r a tes im m e n se a m o u n ts o f w ealth . T h e re w a rd s fo r c re a tin g all this w ealth ? M u ch m o re than the lio n ’s sh are w ill g o to A m e ric a ’s o v e r w h elm in g ly m ale co rp o rate e x ec u tiv e class. M aybe som eday the enorm ity o f the pay gap betw een w orkers and executives will em barrass corporate leaders as m uch as the hubbub over M ary B arra’s com pensation em bar rassed G eneral M otors. W e can hope for that day. B etter yet, w e can fight for it. OtherWords columnist Sam Pizzigati is an Institute for Policy Studies associate fellow.
