Measure Implemented In Effort to Close the Gender Gap
Legislation has been advanced to prohibit all employers, public and private, who do business in New York State, from asking prospective employees about their salary history and compensation. This legislation, advanced on Equal Pay Day, puts New York on track to close the gender wage gap. The Governor also released the Department of Labor's report and recommendations to close the gender pay gap in New York State. These actions build on the Governor's record of working to close the gender wage gap and advancing women's rights and opportunities. New York currently has the narrowest wage gap in the nation, with women earning the equivalent of 89 cents to a man's dollar. This uniquely positions New York to more quickly close the gender wage gap.
"New York is the birthplace of the women's rights movement, from Seneca Falls to suffrage, and that fight continues today as we take aggressive steps to close the gender wage gap," Governor Cuomo said. "The gender pay gap exists across the economic spectrum, across all industries, and can follow women throughout their entire careers. By banning salary history, we can break the weight of this unfair, unequal cycle and work to achieve fair pay for all women in this state."
"As co-chairs of the NYS Pay Equity Study, Commissioner Reardon and I heard the voices of countless women who get up every day, put their heart and soul into their jobs, and at the end of the day still earn less than men," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "The fact that the wage gap for women of color and Latinas is even wider, makes this reality even more shameful. Although New York leads the nation in terms of equal pay, the gap still exists. This is unacceptable and New York will not rest until women achieve full equality. That's why I'm proud we are taking this step to ensure that women are not hostage to their prior wages when applying for their next jobs"
"I thank the Governor for the opportunity to study this critical issue," said Commissioner Reardon. "It's been a gratifying and illuminating experience and I hope the work we've done will contribute to a fairer and brighter future for women and girls everywhere. There's a long road ahead, but we've taken the first step towards eliminating the wage gap for good."
This new legislation builds on two executive orders signed by the Governor last year to eliminate the wage gap by prohibiting state entities from evaluating candidates based on wage history and requiring state contractors to disclose data on the gender, race and ethnicity of employees - leveraging taxpayer dollars to drive transparency and advance pay equity statewide. Today's legislation builds on legislative efforts to address the issue and broadens the scope of Executive Order #161 to encompass all employers, not just state entities, in order to break the cycle of unfair, unequal compensation.
In 2017, Governor Cuomo directed the Department of Labor to study the causes, scope and economic impact of the gender pay gap in New York State and issue policy recommendations to help close it. The study is co-chaired by Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul and State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. As part of the study, the Department of Labor conducted pay equity hearings in New York City, Syracuse, Long Island and Buffalo to solicit testimony identifying specific causes of the gender wage gap and suggestions on ways in which the wage gap can be closed, either in its entirety, or in particular industries.
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Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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