Two bills aimed at preventing employers from paying women less than men who do the same job won final passage in the state Legislature today.
Any company that contracts with the state must report to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development the gender, race, job title and compensation for every employee, according to the bill (S1038). Employees could request this information from the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety.
“Unfortunately, gender wage discrimination is alive and well in the 21st century,” said Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt (D-Camden), chairwoman of the Assembly Women and Children Committee and a sponsor of the Wage Transparency Act. “Hopefully, by empowering employees and holding employers more accountable, we can chip away at the remaining fragments of the glass ceiling.”
The legislation applies only to companies that hold contracts with state government.
“While we can’t regulate private corporations, we can — and, rightfully so, will — regulate contractors doing business with the state” said Assembly sponsor Gabriela Mosquera (D-Gloucester).
The bill passed the Assembly by a 47-31 vote today. It cleared the state Senate in March.
The second bill (S783) would help employees fight pay discrimination by allowing workers to seek larger damage awards by treating every pay check as “another instance of discrimination,” according to the sponsors.
The bill expands upon the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, the sponsor said.
“Over time, repeated wage discrimination – at times unbeknownst the employee – can have a considerable impact,” said Mosquera. “If employers are found to be blatantly discriminatory in this regard, they should be held accountable for the entirety of these lost wages.”
The bill passed, 49-26, with three abstentions.
The bills go to the governor, who will decide whether to sign them into law.