New Jersey lawmakers are trying to guarantee equal pay for women, but I guess that’s not allowed.
Governor Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would have prevented employers from paying women less for the same jobs. It would only allow a gender pay gap only if it was based on something besides gender. If it’s based on education or other qualifications, then that would be fine.
The similarity between the jobs would be evaluated based on the responsibilities required for the job and the skills required to do the job.
Most equal pay laws require the exact same pay for the exact same job. This bill would have gone even further. It would require equal pay for women doing the same tasks in a different role. When women enter a particular job, their pay often drops if their title changes. Maids make less than janitors, for example.
Many states analyze the pay gap in the workforce. Christie talked about this practice specifically saying that it is nonsensical and “business unfriendly.”
The bill also would’ve allowed people to sue for back pay if they found that they were being paid less than they deserve. It would make the statute of limitation reset EVERY time the employee receives a too small paycheck. Christie thinks that people should not be allowed to collect “unlimited” back pay.
Christie said that allowing discrimination victims to sue for damages would make New Jersey a “liberal outlier” state. Women in New Jersey are making 80 percent of what the men make. This is higher than the country average, but women are still missing out on an average of $12,000 a year.
In 2013, Christie passed a law banning “salary secrecy,” so employees are not barred from discussing their pay. But, that’s not enough. We need some laws to end the gender pay gap.
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