Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

In the near future I will reintroduce Senate Bill 788, which was a companion to Rep. MaryLouise Isaacson’s House Bill 346 of the 2021-22 session. This legislation will require employers to disclose the pay range on job postings or the minimum compensation when a pay range does not exist. Last session, I introduced this bill as Senate Bill 788; cosponsors were Senators Muth, Kane, Fontana, Hugues, Costa, Collett, Santarsiero, and Kearney.  

 

According to the National Women’s Law Center, in Pennsylvania, women make 79.3 cents for every dollar a man makes. Black women make 66.2 cents and Latina women make only 55.5 cents for every dollar a white, non-Hispanic man makes in the Commonwealth. Disclosing pay ranges levels the playing field in negotiations, and helps applicants and employees detect and remedy any unjustified pay disparities. Transparency around salary ranges also provides companies with an opportunity to proactively review and evaluate their compensation practices and address any unjustified disparities between employees.  

 

Studies show that when job applicants are clearly informed about the context for negotiations, including the types of compensation, benefits, or conditions that are negotiable, or the typical pay for the position, women are more willing to negotiate, more successful in negotiating, and the gender wage gap narrows. 

 

Requiring employers to disclose the pay range on job posting prevents employers from perpetuating pay inequities due to the legacy of paying women and people of color less for equal work and excluding women and people of color from certain jobs and industries entirely.  

 

Please join me in promoting fairer workplaces, which will be better for employees and better for business in the Commonwealth.