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“It says that an employer
cannot ask [a job applicant] what their last rate of pay
was.”
The concept behind the
proposed ban on employers seeking information on applicants’
salary history is to make a dent in the pay gap that
disproportionately affects women, particularly women of
color. Such a ban has already been implemented in the city
of Cincinnati and Ohio House Democrats have introduced their
own similar legislation to address gender pay gaps. Research
shows that women in Ohio earn 76 cents for every $1 earned
by a man and that the gaps are larger for black and Latina
women.
“This is powerful for me,”
said Harper at the news conference. One of Harper’s early
jobs was as a keypunch operator, she added. During her time
on that she “eventually found out people I trained were
making a lot more than I was.”
The logic behind the
proposed legislation, explained Komives, is that it will
help to level the playing field during salary negotiations
and, quite possibly, for the rest of a person’s working
career. Without such a ban, employers have all the
information during such negotiations and the applicant has
none. If an employee starts at a lower salary then her
counterparts, she is likely to remain at a lower level if
prospective employers gain such knowledge.
City Council discussions
continue this week.
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