The city of Philadelphia may soon be delivering a Christmas present to its workers who are the victims of unequal pay. On Dec. 8, Philadelphia City Council unanimously passed the “wage equity ordinance” (Bill No. 160840, as amended Nov. 22). Mayor Jim Kenney has publicly championed his approval of the ordinance that he will eventually sign into law. Once passed, the bill will amend the Philadelphia Fair Practices ordinance and go into effect within 120 days of passage. The bill is being lauded for making it unlawful for an employer or employment agency to ask an applicant about his wage history or require disclosure of such information, including what he earns at his current employer.
The findings expressed in the introduction to the new ordinance offer some insight as to why the legislation is needed. According to a U.S. Census Bureau 2015 report, in Pennsylvania alone, women are paid 79 cents for every dollar a man makes. Women of color are paid even less. African-American women are paid only 68 cents to the dollar to that of a man, Latinas are paid only 56 cents to the dollar paid to men, and Asian women are paid 81 cents to the dollar.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
