For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Montgomery County Council Vice President George Leventhal, who chairs the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, will introduce Bill 51-14 that would prohibit an employer from retaliating against an employee for disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee. It also would establish certain exceptions to the prohibition against retaliation for wage disclosures.
Councilmember Nancy Navarro is a co-sponsor of the bill. A public hearing on the bill is tentatively scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Women continue to earn less pay than men for similar work in the workplace. Although equal pay for equal work is mandated by Federal, State and County law, an employee's ability to assert a right to equal pay may be impeded by lack of information. In certain circumstances, an employee may suffer retaliation by an employer for discussing the employee's salary or the salary of another employee.
“Our laws clearly state that all employees should receive equal pay for equal work,” said Council Vice President Leventhal. “However, employees can remain unaware of pay discrimination when employers have policies against sharing or seeking wage information, which exacerbates pay disparities for women and minorities. In 2013, the Paycheck Fairness Act was introduced in both houses of Congress, but this bill, which would prevent retaliation for seeking or sharing wage information, has stalled and is not moving on the federal level. For that reason, we should take action on a local level to ensure that employees in Montgomery County receive equal pay for equal work.”
Council Vice President Leventhal said the operative language in the legislation is similar to language that would apply to County contractors under the County Executive’s Wage Reporting Bill (Bill 29-14).
“However, because it would be in the general County employment discrimination law,” said Council Vice President Leventhal, “it would apply to all employers in the County. The enforcement would be the same as any other employment discrimination case under the County law.”
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