CT House Passes Bill Requiring Salary Disclosure In Job Vacancies

Press release from CGA:

May 17, 2021

Just a few days after Mother's Day, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to pass legislation that could help close Connecticut's wage gap and increase pay transparency by requiring employers to disclose salary ranges on job postings.

Passage of the measure is also timed with Moms Equal Pay Day, which fell on Wednesday, May 5 – a day that recognizes it takes an extra five months for a mother’s average pay (working full time, year round) to catch up with what a father earns in one year.

Mothers in the United States earn on average just 75 cents for every dollar a father makes.

The Connecticut House voted 99 to 48 to pass the proposal.

“It is absolutely critical that we uplift the women of Connecticut to receive the pay and recognition they deserve,” said State Representative Robyn Porter (D-Hamden/New Haven), Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. “This bill is long overdue as women, especially women of color, have always been disproportionately impacted by inequitable wages. The pandemic has significantly exacerbated rates of unemployment and decreased wages for women of color, making this legislation vital, now more than ever. HB 6380 will both empower women to demand the pay they deserve, and hold employers accountable to ensure our mothers and sisters are treated with the equal respect they have earned.”

"In 2021, 58 years after the Federal Equal Pay Act, women consistently earn less than men no matter where they work or where they live, with mothers earning even less. Despite action on the federal and state level, the pay gap has improved marginally, but persists due to discrimination, pay secrecy practices, women’s overrepresentation in low-wage jobs, and economic barriers coupled with caregiving responsibilities," said State Representative Kate Farrar (D – West Hartford). "The bill we passed today will empower thousands of mothers to negotiate for fair and equal pay. I am proud to have joined my House colleagues in supporting this bill today."

The bill requires employers to provide job applicants and employees with the wage range for the job for which they are applying for or currently hold. It also expands the standard used to determine if an employer is practicing gender wage discrimination and requires employers to offer equal pay for comparable work, instead of equal work.

The wage gap has significant effects on mothers and varies based on intersecting identities such as race and ethnicity. In Connecticut, for every dollar a father makes, on average Asian American and Pacific Islander mothers earn 86 cents; white, non-Hispanic mothers 73 cents; Native mothers 50 cents; Black mother 47 cents; and Latinas 41 cents.

The COVID-19-induced economic recession has exacerbated the gender wage gap and has been referred to as a "shecession" due to its impact on women. In Connecticut, women are the breadwinners of over 170,000 households, making their earnings vital to their family's economic security. Approximately 47% of Connecticut residents have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but women of color were more likely to experience a loss in income and struggle to pay for basic expenses.

Mothers are three times more likely than dads to have lost a job during the pandemic. Plus, about 76% of parents who had to stay home and not work due to lack of access to childcare are women.

The legislation passed today will give mothers a fair chance at equal pay. Studies have demonstrated that job applicants are more successful at negotiating their salary when they are informed about salary range, types of compensation, and available benefits. Women often ask for lower salaries compared to men during negotiations even when women are equally qualified. When employers withhold salary information, women and people of color are at a significant disadvantage in salary negotiations. This bill, coupled with advances in pay transparency passed in 2015 and 2018 will help secure equal pay for all workers.

This press release was produced by CGA. The views expressed here are the author's own.