On December 8, 2008, a bill (A3510) was introduced that would direct the Council on Gender Parity in Labor and Education to implement certain programs to eliminate the pay disparity between genders. Noting that women comprise approximately 47% of the New Jersey workforce, yet on average earned 76% of what men earned, the bill specifically revises the Council’s duties to include conducting studies and promoting research to develop the means to correct the conditions leading to pay disparities between men and women, and disseminating this information to employers, labor organizations, professional associations, the media and public. The Council also would be responsible for making available guidelines to enable employers to evaluate job categories based on objective criteria. A similar Senate bill (S2241) was introduced on October 16, 2008, and remains pending.
Note: This article was published in the January 2009 issue of the New Jersey eAuthority.
