Huntsman had put off signing the declaration - being pushed nationwide by women's rights groups - while his office researched the resolution. His aides had said the governor required more information before putting his name on the line.

But the governor signed the declaration Saturday because the day was fast approaching, according to his spokeswoman.

"He decided to go ahead and sign it, so they could go ahead," Tammy Kikuchi said. "He totally supports equal pay for equal work."

Andrea Moore-Emmett, president of the Utah chapter of the National Organization for Women, had criticized Huntsman for "hedging" on the issue. After learning that the governor had signed it, Moore-Emmett said it was a start.

"Equal Pay Day has been on the calendar for a while, and it's good to see our governor recognize it," she said. "It's a great baby step to take."

The declaration asks Utahns to recognize the "full value of women's skills and significant contributions to the labor force," and it also asks businesses to evaluate whether women are being paid fairly compared to men doing the same job.

The resolution cites a 2004 report by the U.S. Census Bureau that says year-round, full-time working women in 2003 earned 76 percent of the earnings of men in the same position.

The resolution also says that a report from the General Accounting Office, Congress' investigative arm, found in 2002 that women managers in seven of 10 industries surveyed saw the wage gap widened between 1995 and 2000.

The group pushing the resolution is encouraging women to wear red on Tuesday to symbolize how far women and minorities are "in the red" compared to men.

tburr@sltrib.com