Equal Pay Bill Passes Oregon Legislature, Now Pending Before Governor Brown

Email to a friend Permalink

Thursday, May 28, 2015

GoLocalPDX News Team

Today, the Oregon Senate passed a bill intended to help close the wage gap for women and people of color in Oregon. The Senate passed the bill 17 to 13 in a nearly party line vote, and it is now pending before Governor Kate Brown. 

The bill, sponsored by Senator Diane Rosenbaum and Representatives Carla Piluso, Barbara Smith Warner and Jessica Vega Pederson, protects employees who inquire about, discuss, or disclose information about their wage or the wage of a coworker from disciplinary action. The measure also protects any employee who makes a charge or files a complaint based on the disclosure of wage information by the employee. This will make it possible for working Oregonians to access more information about how their pay compares to that of a colleague, while removing the potential for fear of retaliation, according to Family Forward Oregon.

“Equal pay for equal work is still a far off reality, which has dire consequences for women and the families who rely on them. We know that closing the wage gap in Oregon will take more than one policy change, but we are very pleased to see our lawmakers stepping up to take this important first step today,” said Family Forward’s Executive Director Andrea Paluso. “Without the ability to share pay information, women can’t even know when they’re being unfairly paid and by how much, let alone fix it. This is a sign that women’s economic security is a becoming a priority for our lawmakers.”

Work to close the wage gap in Oregon began with Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, who in 2011 directed the Oregon Council on Civil Rights to create a formal set of policy recommendations to close the wage gap in Oregon. Two years later during the 2013 legislative session, the Legislative Assembly passed Senate Bill 744 to direct the Council to study wage inequality and the factors that contribute to it. In January 2014, the Council issued its formal recommendations to address pay inequality in Oregon.

"Oregon’s pay gap doesn’t just hurt women and people of color, it hurts everyone, said Brad Avakian, Oregon Labor Commissioner. “By creating greater pay transparency, we can protect employees from retaliation and take an important step in the fight for equal pay. That’s good for individual workers, but also communities around the state.”

“Closing the wage gap is a priority for me. Pay inequity is clearly unfair and has significant impacts on women’s short and long-term economic security. When women earn less than men, their families also suffer the consequences, as do our communities when families are poorer and Oregonians have fewer dollars in their pockets,” said Representative Jessica Vega Pederson, a chief sponsor of the bill. “Making it easier for people to know if they’re being paid unequally, as HB 2007 does, is an important first step towards paying men, women, and people of color equally for equal work all across Oregon.”

---

Related Slideshow: Oregon’s 20 Best Jobs That Don’t Require a College Degree

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Email to a friend Permalink