Columbus city council legislation pushes for pay transparency

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Columbus city leaders are pushing for more pay transparency in the workplace to try to close gender and racial wage gaps.

"Since women came into the workforce in full force, we've only closed the pay gap by a quarter," councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla said. "It continues to be an issue for women."

Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla is proposing pay transparency legislation that would require salary ranges on all job postings. She hosted a public hearing on it Thursday. She said it's about creating a fairer system for everyone, especially as the city continues to grow. 

"As we think about all the businesses that are going to be coming into Columbus or the businesses that will start here in Columbus, we want to make sure that people are not just coming to Columbus to do business, but they're doing the business of Columbus," Barroso de Padilla said. 

According to Barroso de Padilla the legislation builds on the city's existing pay equity law that bans employees from asking about salary history which was a move designed to stop past pay disparities from following workers into new jobs. 

"This was a time to put the stake in the ground, to add equity in the system, to make sure that we're investing in our people and our families," Barroso de Padilla said. "That's how you can ensure you get a little bit more in every paycheck to save up for that house, to get that bus pass."

Several supporters spoke during public testimony and drew on their own personal experiences.

"I applied for a role that shared the salary range, and I really deeply valued that transparency," Zora's House managing director Liz Gordon-Canlas said. "And it excited me about the opportunity."

If approved, the measure would require employers to list clear salary ranges which leaders said would help job seekers negotiate more fairly.

"When they come into these jobs knowing what their worth is, what the job is, they feel trust and confidence in that employer," president of the Women's Fund of Central Ohio, Kelley Griesmer, said. "They also feel safety in the fact that they've accepted a salary that they were able to help choose and not just wonder about." 

Barroso de Padilla said the proposed legislation would help level the playing field for women, people of color, immigrants, and others who have historically been underpaid for doing the same work. She said it also helps businesses attract the right talent. 

The measure would apply to employers in Columbus or any job largely performed within city limits. 

"We think that this is the future to evolve to this model of telling people more in the beginning and hopefully not replacing them in the end," Griesmer said.

Columbus City Council is still taking public testimony. The proposed legislation will go up for a vote at council's meeting Nov. 3. If approved, the change wouldn't take effect for a year which would allow time for education and outreach before enforcement would begin.