Statement of PowHer New York in response to the Office of Management and Budget halting the implementation of the revised Employer Information Report (EEO-1) salary data collection. PowHer New York, which leads the statewide Equal Pay Campaign, is a network of 100 organizations collaborating for gender economic justice (list below).
“Today marks a step backward in the national fight to close the gender and racial wage gap,” said Beverly Neufeld, President of PowHer New York.
“After years of review, public and business input, and planning, the federal Office of Management and Budget’s(OMB) call for the immediate stay of new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulations for collection of salary data is an unfortunate roadblock to progress.
This demand obstructs the purpose of the additional data on the revised EEO-1 reports: provide the EEOC with the information necessary to root out continuing wage discrimination, create pay transparency, encourage employers to pre-emptively examine their pay practices, and ultimately ensure that Americans are paid equitably.
Fortunately,some states and cities are addressing wage discrimination proactively. Through meaningful legislation and bold executive action,New York, which has the smallest overall gender wage gap,has outlawed workplace wage secrecy, closed loopholes, instituted family-friendly benefits for all employees, and eliminated the salary history question for many. Most notably, by gubernatorial Executive Order, state contractors are now required to report the salary data that OMB is now thwarting.
These and additional much needed measures are critical in eliminating the pernicious wage and opportunity gap. To achieve equal pay, our leaders must provide concrete solutions, like salary data collection, to break down barriers to economic equity. Talk is not enough.”
For further comment, contact Beverly Neufeld at 914.329.4046 or bev@powherny.org.