The proposed wage equity ordinance
Councilman Callahan’s wage equality ordinance that has been in the pipeline for about a year comes up for a first reading at the City Council meeting Tuesday night.
Councilwoman Van Wirt added a substantive amendment to the original ordinance at the last Human Relations Committee meeting.
And questions about enforcement of the ordinance have been settled by the creation of a Human Relations Committee at the county levels.
Councilpeople Colon and Crampsie Smith attended the last committee meeting, indicating their approval, and one would expect the ordinance will sail through Council.
Councilman Callahan explains the origin of the ordinance and gives an overview of its rationale (4 mins.):
It is the purpose of this Ordinance:
1. to require that salary offers should be based upon the job responsibilities of the position sought, and not based upon the prior wages earned by the applicant, so as to avoid the perpetuation of gender wage inequalities.; and
2. to help close punishing gender wage gaps by eliminating a harmful workplace practice that has been highlighted by Congress and human resources organizations, so as to combat the wage discrimination that has plagued our society for decades.
Councilwoman Van Wirt explains her amendment (3 mins.):
It is an unlawful employment practice for an employer to:
a. require an employee to sign a contract or waiver that would prohibit the employee from disclosing or sharing information about the employee’s wages, salary or remuneration; or in any manner to forbid the disclosure or sharing of wage, salary, or remuneration information by an employee;