AnonymousSource: Office of Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson
As women and people of color are being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and its economic challenges, legislation by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to address the race and gender-based pay gap was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom [last week].
Senate Bill 973 requires that California employers with 100 or more employees submit a pay data report annually to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, outlining compensation and hours worked of its employees by gender, race, ethnicity and job category.
The bill is modeled after a federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission effort to collect pay data by race and gender instituted under the Obama Administration that was later halted by the Trump Administration. Despite a federal court ruling requiring the EEOC to collect two more years of data, the EEOC issued public notice that it will not seek renewal of the pay data collection beyond what was required by the court. In addition, the Trump Administration, in a historically unprecedented move, is prohibiting the sharing of this data with state agencies, despite the fact that it has been shared and used as an enforcement tool in many states for decades.
“Despite all the progress our state has made on equal pay, the pay gap remains a serious problem that costs an estimated $79 billion in lost wages a year in California. The pay gap is especially concerning for women of color with African American women earning 61 cents and Latinas just 42 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men,” said Senator Jackson. “With the Governor’s approval of SB 973, California is taking another important step toward true pay equity.”
The bill would permit state agencies to identify patterns of wage disparities and better enforce wage discrimination laws, when appropriate. It would also encourage employers to analyze and self-correct their own pay practices in the process, while ensuring privacy by requiring that individually identifiable information be protected and not available to the general public.
When pay disparities go undetected, it becomes even more difficult to close the pay gap. In fact, many employers themselves are unaware of discrepancies in their own companies. Last year, the company Intel voluntarily released this data and revealed that 41 of 52 top executives making more than $208,000 a year were men and 37 were white. This revelation was eye opening and led to calls for change within the company itself.
Senator Jackson is a national leader in the fight for pay equity. She is the author of Senate Bill 358, the California Fair Pay Act, which was the strongest equal pay law for women in the country when it passed the Legislature in 2015.
Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.
JUSTAGUY…. ah yes, the old “women get bigger tips than me” sob story. This is about wages, not tips. The gov’t has no control over what customers tip you. Maybe try being nicer to your customers if you’re getting unsatisfactory tips?
Why are business leaving the State of California- Over reaching government controls and regulations that cost time and money. Thanks HannaBeth- Meanwhile there are vagrants all over the State destroying our quality of life for Males and Females and whatever else people identify as in 2020….
We have the most vibrant economy in the nation. Businesses that leave are mismanaged.
when women make as much as a man they find him less attractive as a mate an a provider. it’s a scientific fact. then they complain about a lack of eligible men. that’s an unscientific fact.
As a male who works in the service industry, I’m awaiting a check to increase my gratuities to match that of women in my field./s
If females get the same pay for the same work, it’s true that it’s harder for substandard men to acquire one to victimize or misuse on the basis of providing room & board. Females prefer “good men” to mate with and the work and cost of a functional family. For both partners that’s a gain and a loss for potential partners who are users and abusers.
That’s funny no matter who you are. Toyota, Kinkos, Charles Schwab and several dozens of other Fortune 500 companies are mismanaged?