Gibson Speaks at Huntley AAUW Equal Pay Day ‘Unhappy Hour’

April 18, 2011

Attorney Jennifer J. Gibson of Zukowski, Rogers, Flood & McArdle joined a dialogue on gender pay equity with the American Association of University Women on April 12, a day symbolically dubbed Equal Pay Day. The so-called “Unhappy Hour” mixer in Huntley, Illinois, marked approximately how far into 2011 women must work, on average, to reach pay equity with what men earned in calendar year 2010.

The exact date and wage discrepancy between genders will not be known until late August or September when census statistics become available. Estimates indicate women now earn less than 80 percent of what men do for the same work. The discrepancy in wages was somewhat larger in 1996 when the National Committee on Pay Equity originated the annual event.

The disparity holds up across many industries and workplaces, as it does among unskilled, blue-collar, white-collar, professional and executive job classifications. The gap is even greater for most women of color. The donation for the event, held at Niko’s Grill & Pub Restaurant, was appropriately set at $1 for men and 80 cents for women.

A practitioner in civil litigation and civil appellate litigation, Gibson focuses on such areas as employment law, family law and contract disputes for Crystal Lake-based Zukowski, Rogers, Flood & McArdle, which boasts more McHenry County lawyers than any other law firm. Gibson has tried a half-dozen cases to jury verdict and has clerked for two justices during her six-year tenure in the Illinois Second District Appellate Court.

Gibson has presented information on the newly rewritten Freedom of Information Act in DuPage County to the League of Women Voters and has also spoken on zoning for alternative wind energy before the McHenry County Council of Governments. Please click on the following link to learn more about Jennifer Gibson’s background in appellate litigation, civil litigation, personal injury law and local government law.