Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee has signed into law new protections against pay discrimination. The new law, which goes into effect January 1, 2023, makes it unlawful to pay any employee less than the employees of another race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of ancestral origin
Pay Equity
Oregon Temporarily Allows Vaccine Incentives and Hiring Bonuses
The Oregon legislature has temporarily amended Oregon’s Equal Pay Act to allow employers latitude to both encourage COVID-19 vaccinations and to attract new employees as the state emerges from COVID-19 business restrictions. Under the revised statute, when evaluating whether employees who perform work of comparable character are paid equitably, a comparison of employee compensation…
Illinois Enacts Equal Pay Certification Follow-Up Amendments
Signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker into law June 25, 2021, new amendments to the Equal Pay Act of 2003 alter and clarify the practical implications of obtaining an equal pay registration certificate under the Act.
A requirement enacted through Governor Pritzker’s signing an amendment to the Equal Pay Act on March 23, 2021, businesses…
Paycheck Fairness Act Fails to Advance in Senate
On June 11, 2021 the U.S. Senate failed to approve advancement of the latest iteration of the Paycheck Fairness Act. In a procedural cloture vote that fell along party lines the Act fell short of receiving the required 60 votes needed to move forward. As a reminder, the version of the Act proposed in February…
Connecticut Amends Pay Equity Law, Requiring Disclosure of Wage Ranges to Applicants, Employees
Connecticut’s “An Act Concerning the Disclosure of Salary Range for a Vacant Position,” which goes into effect on October 1, 2021, imposes new requirements on Connecticut employers to disclose the wage range for vacant positions to both job applicants and existing employees.
The new law also extends the prohibition on sex-based compensation discrimination to comparable…
Injunction Denied: Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act Stands (For Now)
Today, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado issued a long-awaited ruling on a motion to enjoin the recently enacted Colorado Pay Equity Transparency Rules.
These rules were first proposed in September 2020, finalized in November 2020, clarified in December 2020, and became effective January 1, 2021.
They are…
Starting Compensation and Pay Equity in California
As California moves toward a tentative reopening date of June 15, employers may be considering bulking up their workforce again. If hiring new employees, employers should consider the guidance issued by the California Commission on the Status of Women (“Commission”), regarding starting compensation.
The guidance from the Commission first sets forth the applicable California statutes…
Women’s National Soccer Team Collective Action Against USSF: Settlement, in Part
A lawsuit brought by female professional soccer players against the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) may be settled, partly.
In 2019, female professional soccer players on the United States Senior Women’s National Team, including well-known players like Megan Rapinoe, filed a collective action in federal court in California alleging the USSF violated the players’ rights…
New Illinois Legislation Targets Equal Pay; Requires Detailed Pay Report and New Enforcement Methods
An amendment to the Illinois Equal Pay Act of 2003 requires that, beginning March 23, 2024, employers with more than 100 employees in Illinois must certify compliance with the Equal Pay Act by obtaining an Equal Pay registration certificate from the state Department of Labor.
Under the amendment signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker on March…
Patchwork of Pay Transparency Laws Continues to Evolve
State legislatures continue to pass laws designed to enhance pay equity and transparency, with the laws of California and Colorado effective in 2021. The California law requires employee pay data reporting by race and gender, and the Colorado law requires robust pay and promotional transparency.
California
Under California’s pay data reporting law (SB 973), most…