New Equal Pay law takes effect in NY
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — New equal pay legislation is on its way to New York State, and one went into effect on Tuesday.
This July, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to boost pay equity in the state.
The first measure bans employers from paying workers unequally based on protected class. Among those protected classes are age, race, creed, sex, and sexual orientation.
The Governor said the following in a statement:
“Now it’s time for businesses across the state to take a hard look at their pay policies and ensure women employees get paid the same as their male colleagues if they are doing substantially similar work.”
The second law prohibits employers from asking job candidates salary history questions. Both laws apply to public and private sector employers.
“There is no rational reason why women should not get paid the same as men, and these common sense measures will take us one step closer to true equality,” Cuomo said.
The Governor is also asking business owners to do “internal reviews” on their own pay policies.