“There were pay equity statutes before there were pay transparency requirements which I think are sleeping giants,” Christopher T. Wall of Stoel Rives, said. “There is a ton of exposure that, I think, people both on the plaintiff side and on the employer side, are not totally tuned in to. It is good to take stock of pay discrepancies that may exist and to fix those issues. That also helps protect your business from catastrophic liability.”
As wage transparency laws are being enacted in a patchwork fashion across the country, legal experts are weighing in on how employers can best protect themselves in a shifting landscape of legislation designed to prevent pay discrimination.
Wage transparency laws have now been passed in 10 states, such as Washington, Nevada and Rhode Island, while a dozen more, including New Jersey, Massachusetts and Virginia, might be considering legislation requiring the disclosure of a position’s pay. Several cities have also taken the initiative to enact their own laws.
