A passionate crowd gathered on the steps of City Hall Tuesday for the 18th annual Equal Pay Day rally, demanding an end to gender-based wage disparities. It was led and organized by PowHer NY and the Communications Workers of America Local 1180.

As chants of "What do we want? Equal pay! When do we want it? NOW!" echoed through the air, the rally showcased a strong convergence of women, legislators and allies, all pushing for change.

"We look at the description of people in front of us, and we believe they’re qualified based on their gender and ethnicity, not based on their quality and what they produce - that’s what we want to change," said Mayor Eric Adams.

New York state Attorney General Letitia James highlighted the importance of enforcing existing laws to ensure fair pay practices in both public and private sectors. "It’s critically important that we send a message to businesses that you have to one respect women and two pay them their fair share," said James.

Despite progress, advocates say the wage gap persists, with women in the U.S. earning 88 cents for every dollar earned by men. "The wage gap of 88 cents reflects at least $11,000 a year in lost wages for the average woman and up to $34,000 a year if you’re a woman of color," said Beverly Neufeld, president of PowHerNY.

Advocates highlighted the need for more continued legislative action to address wage inequalities.

"We continue to see prominent employers post embarrassingly broad salary ranges in an attempt to conceal pay practices. We need to close this loophole in our law by placing limitations on what constitutes a good fair salary range," said Seher Khawaja, director of economic justice at Legal Momentum,

City Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers announced plans to introduce a bill aimed at strengthening pay transparency requirements. "In the coming weeks alongside Amanda Farias, I will introduce a bill to strengthen and expand pay transparency requirements, for example requiring employers to be honest about workers' benefits," Brooks-Powers stated.