Posted on October 21st, 2015
As always keeping you up to date with the latest news and events regarding employment law so that you stay clear of a possible lawsuit. Today we are bringing you all the information you need about the California Fair Pay Act.
Senator Hannah Beth Jackson introduced the California Pay Act. after her research, in which she learned that women earned about 84 cents for every dollar earned by men.
The law was signed last Tuesday by California Governor Jerry Brown, this new law will take effect January 1st.
This California bill aimed at ensuring that men and women get paid equally, it’s a measured considered among the strongest in the nation, and highly supported by Hollywood.
The California Pay Act is part of a package of economic bills. In addition to the equal pay provisions, the bills also focus on childcare, making workplaces more family friendly and eradicating poverty.
What it means for you the California Employer though is you can be challenged by a female employee to prove that they are not being paid less then their male counterparts with the same duties simply because of gender.
The reasons why you as an employer can justify higher wages for men, are very limited. These can include if the paid is based on seniority, quantity or quality of production and NOT gender.
Contact us if you require more information.
The new law makes illegal to retaliate against employees who talk about their pay at work. This gives women the right to ask about co-workers pay even if this leads to discover discrepancies.
Advocates indicate that soon California will have the strongest equal pay protection in the nation after the Governor signed the bill into law during a ceremony at Rosie the Riveter Park in Richmond California.
The bill passed with strong support from both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate in May, and cleared the Assembly last week, Senator Jackson attended the ceremony on Tuesday.
The legislation establishes standard of equal pay for “substantially similar work” rather than “equal work” this information is crucial to employers because these terms clear completely the possibility of justification of difference in wages based on gender.
As I mentioned before, the California Pay Act is part of other bills that are also being evaluated and may pass in the near future. Continue reading our articles and stay up to date with these and more news about employer laws.
The law goes into place January of 2016 so take the next few months to review your employees pay. If you have male workers making more then female employee doing the same job, make sure to evaluate.