Asima J. Ahmad
As outlined in a previous post, the Philadelphia Wage Equity Ordinance is back in play. And now that the litigation dust has settled, the city announced that the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (“PCHR”) will begin enforcing the ordinance on September 1, 2020.
As a reminder, the Ordinance prohibits all employers, employment agencies, or their agents from asking about a job applicant’s current or prior salary history during the application or hiring process if the position is located in Philadelphia. Shortly after the salary history ban was announced, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia sued to block it from going into effect on free speech grounds. The case proceeded to the Third Circuit, which ultimately held that the ordinance was constitutional in a unanimous decision issued this February.
The PCHR recently issued a set of FAQs which provide some useful information for employers, including whether the ordinance applies to internal candidates (no), whether an employer can rely on market data for salaries (yes), and whether an employer can ask a job applicant about their salary expectations (yes, but employers should not ask candidates if their salary “expectation” is tied to their current or prior salary history). The FAQs also outline suggested best practices for compliance, including:
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- Focusing questions on the applicant’s salary demands, experience, skills, and qualifications during the interview process;
- Establishing salary ranges or pay scales for open positions;
- Creating or modifying written policies to reflect compliance with the ordinance;
- Training interviewers, hiring staff, and other applicable staff regarding compliance;
- Refraining from seeking prior salary history from other sources, including a former employer or public records;
- Instructing background reporting agencies to exclude information found regarding an applicant’s salary history; and
- Developing protocols for discarding or isolating salary information that employers inadvertently receive but are prohibited from considering.
Job applicants who are asked about their salary history in violation of the ordinance can file a complaint with the PCHR and may be awarded compensatory damages, punitive damages, reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs, injunctive relief, or other relief. Employers are prohibited from retaliating against applicants who refuse to provide their salary history.
We recommend contacting a member of Blank Rome’s Labor & Employment team as soon as possible to ensure that your hiring process and practices follow the ordinance’s requirements, and that your staff understands the do’s and don’ts of the new law. We are happy to answer any questions about compliance or updating your policies and procedures, or to schedule a training.
Effective immediately, Philadelphia employers are prohibited from asking job applicants about their salary, wage, and benefits history.
New Jersey and New York are the latest states to prohibit employers from asking job applicants about their pay history and considering pay information in making employment decisions.
As part of the New York State Legislature’s push to pass legislation at the end of its 2019 Session, three anti-discrimination bills have been passed and sent to the governor for consideration. If signed into law by Governor Cuomo (as expected), the bills will: (i) prohibit employers from inquiring into job applicants’ wage or salary history; (ii) expand the protections of existing equal pay laws; and (iii) ban discrimination based on hair or hairstyle. The salary history ban and equal pay law amendments will go into effect 180 days after enactment, and the hair/hairstyle law will go into effect immediately upon signature.