When an employer bases wages on a job applicant’s past salary, pay discrimination from prior employment continues and multiplies throughout her career.  This common practice negatively affects women and people of color who face continuing bias in the job and negotiation process.

Tell Your NYS + NYC elected officials below!

Low wage workers particular suffer because “women’s work” is undervalued, making pay based on prior salary depressed. As well, because women typically have larger caregiving responsibilities, many reduce hours or leave jobs and are penalized upon returning. And, when salary is used to screen applicants for job advancement, it can act as a disqualifier because of assumptions that low wages means unqualified.

Over time, lower salaries add up and affect the worker and her family’s financial health and her retirement security.

Simply put: New wages should reflect the match between the candidate’s qualifications and the job’s requirements and pay scale, not past salary. Urge your electeds to do so by by co-sponsoring and supporting NYC Int. 1253 and NYS A.6706/S.5233.

If we want to get serious about ending the persistent wage and opportunity gap that  affects women and people of color, we need to end the causes! With an Executive Order signed by Governor Cuomo, this practice is now banned in NYS public sector employment. Now it’s time to ban salary history in hiring in all cities and in the private sector!