Last year, the Oregon legislature temporarily amended Oregon’s Equal Pay Act to exempt vaccine incentives and hiring and retention bonuses from pay equity considerations, as reported here. The temporary amendments were scheduled to expire March 1, 2022. More recently, the legislature extended the expiration date for the amendments. SB 1514 permits employers to continue
Pay Equity
Why Pay Equity Matters for Manufacturers and How Manufacturers Can Proactively Reduce Risk
Pay equity is a critical issue for employers — and it should be top of mind for those in the manufacturing industry.
A number of states enacted laws designed to strengthen equal pay protections and improve pay transparency in 2021, and more are expected to follow. These laws reflect a continued and growing focus on…
Illinois Begins to Issue Compliance Deadlines for Equal Pay Reporting
The state’s Equal Pay Registration Certificate requirements of the Equal Pay Act will take effect March 24, 2022, according to the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL). A number of employers have received IDOL notices that they were selected for the first registration deadline: May 25, 2022.
Illinois requires businesses with more than 100 employees to…
The Emerging Trend in State Pay Transparency Laws
The push for pay equity has moved beyond prohibiting pay discrimination and into requiring employers encourage pay transparency for applicants and employees.
At the federal level, the National Labor Relations Act can protect discussions involving compensation as concerted activity. For federal contractors, OFCCP prohibits policies that discourage pay transparency. Many states have followed suit —…
‘Equal Pay for Team USA’ Act Reintroduced Ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Legislation recently reintroduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joins a growing number of federal bills on pay equity for female athletes.
The “Equal Pay for Team USA” Act of 2021, first introduced in 2019, would require equal pay for all athletes representing the United States in international sporting competitions, regardless…
Rhode Island Enacts New Protections Against Pay Discrimination
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…
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…
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…
Pay Data Reporting: California is the Tip of the Spear
In a continued effort to reduce gender and racial pay gaps, on September 30, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 973, which creates massive pay reporting requirements for employers. In 2021, certain California employers will be required to submit annual information on its employees’ pay data by gender, race, and ethnicity…