Buchwald, Cook, Dinowitz, Epstein, Glick, Lupardo, Perry
Amd §118, add §119, Civ Serv L
Seeks to comply with the federal equal pay act of 1963 by implementing a state policy of compensating employees in state service equally for work of comparable value by eliminating wage inequality in job titles having been segregated by sex, race or national origin; requires the president of the civil service commission to report annually to the legislature and the governor on those segregated titles for which wage disparity exists; mandates governor to appropriate monies to ensure wage disparities are corrected.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A658
SPONSOR: Rosenthal (MS) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the civil service law, in relation to implementing a
state policy of setting salaries on the basis of equivalent value of
work
PURPOSE:
This bill implements the state policy of compensating employees in state
service equally for work of equivalent value by eliminating wage
inequality in job titles and position classifications which have been
segregated by sex, race, or national origin.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 118 of the
civil service law by adding three new paragraphs (d), (e) and (f).
Section two amends the civil service law by adding a new section 119.
Section three sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
While newspapers carry banner headlines about the advances women have
made in the work force, the fact is, women's wages continue to lag far
behind men's. The economic position of women on the whole has deteri-
orated, despite affirmative action and equal pay laws, and-the movement
of some women into a few traditionally male-dominated occupations.
The wage gap exists, in part, because many women are still segregated
into a few low-paying occupations. More than half of all women workers
hold sales, clerical and service jobs. Studies show that the more an
occupation is dominated by women, the less it pays. Part of the wage gap
results from differences in education, experience or time in the work-
force. But a significant portion cannot be explained by any of those
factors; the General Accounting Office's Oct. 2003 report Women's Earn-
ings, which examined 38 years of data, found a 20 percent earnings gap
between women and men that could not be explained, even when accounting
for demographic and work-related factors such as occupation, industry,
race, marital status and job tenure.
More than half of all women work in occupations which are over 70%
female and 25% are in jobs which are more than 95% female. The National
Academy of Sciences, which has conducted the most authoritative study to
date on comparable worth, found that "the more an occupation is domi-
nated by women, the less it pays." The Academy concluded that sex
discrimination is deeply imbedded in our society's wage structures and
in our so-called free market system.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2015-16: A.437-A - Passed Assembly
2013-14: A.753-A - Passed Assembly; S.1871-A - Referred to Civil Service
& Pensions
2011-12: A.1780-A - Passed Assembly; S.248-A - Referred to Civil Service
& Pensions
2009-10: A.6712 - Passed Assembly; S.5271 - Reported to Finance
2007-08: A.7407 - Passed Assembly
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined by the amount of wage disparity.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill shall take effect immediately.
