Tue, 07/13/2021
Connecticut has joined Colorado in enacting pay transparency measures designed to ensure employees receive equal pay for equal work.
Public Act 21-30, an “Act Concerning the Disclosure of Salary Range for a Vacant Position,” prohibits employers from failing or refusing to provide job applicants and current employees with the wage range for the position for which they are applying. A “wage range,” is defined as the “range of wages an employer anticipates relying on when setting wages for a position, and may include reference to any applicable pay scale, previously determined range of wages for the position, actual range of wages for those employees currently holding comparable positions or the employer’s budgeted amount for the position,” upon request or in other circumstances.
An applicant or current employee who is denied this information may file a lawsuit within two years of the violation, and an employer who has violated the Act may be liable for compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorneys’ fees.
The Act also amends Connecticut’s existing equal pay law to allow employees to demonstrate pay discrimination if they prove that the employer pays employees of one sex a lower wage for comparable work, viewed as a “composite of skill, effort and responsibility under similar working conditions.” Prior to this amendment, an employee had to demonstrate that the employer paid employees of one sex a lower wage for equal work that requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility under similar working conditions.
MSE’s coverage of the Colorado law is available here.
For more information, visit MSE’s Equal Pay webpage. If you believe your employer pays employees of one sex less, please contact MSE at info@mselaborlaw.com.
