Latest Blogs

Tag: equal pay

All Blog posts

Wage Discrimination & Unequal Pay: Navigating Federal and California Laws Posted on: July 26, 2021 In: Labor & Employment
Although it has been over 50 years since the enactment of the federal Equal Pay Act, closing the wage gap between men and women remains a focal point for state and federal legislatures alike, with varying degrees of success. Measures such as the Paycheck Fairness Act have been repeatedly introduced to the United States Congress (and have failed to advance as recently as last month). In contrast, California has pushed ahead in recent years with sweeping changes to its own version of the Equal Pay Act.
Read more »

Tags:
wage discrimination, equal pay, cepa, payroll, wage and hour, california
Growing Nationwide Emphasis on Pay Transparency: What Employers Need to Know Posted on: July 20, 2021 In: Labor & Employment
Now, more than ever, employers are faced with a nationwide outcry for greater transparency around pay equity and pay transparency, both from employees and potential customers. The Biden Administration certainly echoes these sentiments, and has expressed a desire to pass new pay equity and transparency laws on the federal level. However, numerous states and local governments are not inclined to wait for the federal government to act and have instead begun to pass their own pay equity and transparency laws.
Read more »

Tags:
pay transparency, payroll, equal pay, maryland, colorado, connecticut, california
Employers Should ‘Pay’ Attention to Recent Fifth Circuit Case About Equal Pay Act Requirements Posted on: March 05, 2021 In: Labor & Employment
A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit serves as a reminder that an employer should be prepared to justify any pay differential between male and female employees. Most employers are aware that the Equal Pay Act requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work. Employees’ jobs that are being compared must require substantially equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and must be performed under similar working conditions.
Read more »

Tags:
equal pay, equal pay act, fifth circuit, title vii, wage and hour, pay discrimination
Ninth Circuit Holds Prior Salary Alone or in Combination with Other Factors Cannot Justify Gender Pay Gaps Under The Equal Pay Act Posted on: March 11, 2020 In: Labor & Employment
On February 27, 2020, the Ninth Circuit in Rizo v. Yovino held that an employer cannot rely on an individual’s prior salary alone or in combination with other job-related factors to justify a wage disparity between a male and female employee when defending against an Equal Pay Act (EPA) claim. The EPA prohibits employers from paying male and female employees differently for the same work, with a few exceptions, including when a pay difference is based on a “factor other than sex.”
Read more »

Tags:
equal pay, equal pay act, 9th circuit, salary, sex discrimination
Equal Pay and Barbie Dolls Posted on: November 05, 2019 In: Labor & Employment
Last week, I had the honor of speaking on a panel at the national First Chair Equal Pay Summit in Chicago, attended by prominent women from top law firms and companies in the U.S. (and some delightful and progressive men). I was equally amazed by the incredible dedication of this group to equality in pay and opportunity for women and the fact that the conference was necessary in the first place.
Read more »

Tags:
equal pay, equal pay act, salary, wage transparency, glass ceiling
Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act: What Employers Need to Know Before 2021 Posted on: June 18, 2019 In: Labor & Employment
On Wednesday, May 23, 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law Senate Bill 19 085 (also known as the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act), which imposes new, stringent obligations on Colorado employers as to hiring practices, promotion procedures, and record-keeping requirements. Importantly, this new law becomes effective on January 1, 2021.
Read more »

Tags:
colorado, equal pay, compensation, hiring, employment law