Equal Pay Day

Lawmakers introduced a bill that would ban employers from asking a job candidate for their salary history yesterday, on what’s known as “Equal Pay Day.” Bente Birkeland has more.

Equal Pay Day is a concept meant to illustrate the gap between what men and women earn for doing the same work. Democratic Representative Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood says she believes this bill will help reduce the gender pay gap where women earn on average about 80 cents on the dollar to a man.

“Just asking, what are your salary requirements, instead of how low can I pay you. Unfortunately we are much likely to be paid differently from the very beginning.”

While other states and cities have passed similar laws, business groups say it could make it harder for them to attract talent and negotiate wages, making hiring more complicated. On Monday, a federal appeals court ruled that employers cannot pay women less than men because they made less at a previous job. That case will potentially head to the Supreme Court.