NY State Senate Bill 2017-S5480

Senate Bill S5480

2017-2018 Legislative Session

Establishes policy of equal pay for both sexes and equivalent value of work and directs the taking of corrective action

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Civil Service And Pensions Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2018	referred to civil service and pensions
Mar 31, 2017	referred to civil service and pensions

2017-S5480 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A658
Current Committee:: Senate Civil Service And Pensions
Law Section:: Civil Service Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §118, add §119, Civ Serv L
Versions Introduced in 2017-2018 Legislative Session:: S5480, A658

2017-S5480 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Seeks to comply with the federal equal pay act of 1963 by implementing a state policy of compensating employees in state service equally for work of comparable value by eliminating wage inequality in job titles having been segregated by sex, race or national origin; requires the president of the civil service commission to report annually to the legislature and the governor on those segregated titles for which wage disparity exists; mandates governor to appropriate monies to ensure wage disparities are corrected.

2017-S5480 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S5480

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act to amend the civil service law, in relation to implementing a
state policy of setting salaries on the basis of equivalent value of
work

 PURPOSE :

This bill implements the state policy of compensating employees in
state service equally for work of equivalent value by eliminating wage
inequality in job titles and position classifications which have been
segregated by sex, race, or national origin.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Section one amends paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 118 of
the civil service law by adding three new paragraphs (d), (e) and (f).

Section two amends the civil service law by adding a new section 119.

Section three sets forth the effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

While newspapers carry banner headlines about the advances women have
made in the work force, the fact is, women's wages continue to lag far
behind men's. The economic position of women on the whole has
deteriorated, despite affirmative action and equal pay laws, and-the
movement of some women into a few traditionally male-dominated
occupations.

The wage gap exists, in part, because many women are still segregated
into a few low-paying occupations. More than half of all women workers
hold sales, clerical and service jobs. Studies show that the more an
occupation is dominated by women, the less it pays. Part of the wage
gap results from differences in education, experience or time in the
workforce. But a significant portion cannot be explained by any of
those factors; the General Accounting Office's Oct. 2003 report
Women's Earnings, which examined 38 years of data, found a 20 percent
earnings gap between women and men that could not be explained, even
when accounting for demographic and work-related factors such as
occupation, industry, race, marital status and job tenure.

More than half of all women work in occupations which are over 70%
female and 25% are in jobs which are more than 95% female. The
National Academy of Sciences, which has conducted the most
authoritative study to date on comparable worth, found that "the more
an occupation is dominated by women, the less it pays." The Academy
concluded that sex discrimination is deeply imbedded in our society's
wage structures and in our so-called free market system.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

2015-16: A.437-A - Passed Assembly
2013-14: A.753-A - Passed Assembly; S.1871-A - Referred to Civil
Service & Pensions
2011-12: A.1780-A - Passed Assembly; S.248-A - Referred to Civil
Service & Pensions
2009-10: A.6712 - Passed Assembly; S.5271 - Reported to Finance
2007-08: A.7407 - Passed Assembly

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To be determined by the amount of wage disparity.
 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This bill shall take effect immediately.

2017-S5480 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5480
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 31, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MONTGOMERY  -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Civil  Service  and
   Pensions
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the civil service law, in relation to implementing a
   state policy of setting salaries on the basis of equivalent  value  of
   work

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1.  Paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 118 of the civil
 service law, as added by chapter 790 of the laws of 1958, is amended and
 three new paragraphs (d), (e) and (f) are added to read as follows:
   (c) The principle of fair and equal  pay  for  similar  work  AND  FOR
 EQUIVALENT  VALUE  OF  WORK  shall be followed in the classification and
 reclassification and the allocation and reallocation of positions pursu-
 ant to this article and all positions having the  same  title  shall  be
 allocated to the same salary grade.  EQUIVALENT VALUE OF WORK SHALL MEAN
 TITLES  OR POSITION CLASSIFICATIONS THAT ARE EQUAL WITHIN THE MEANING OF
 THE EQUAL PAY ACT OF 1963, 29 U.S.C. 206(D), OR TITLES OR POSITION CLAS-
 SIFICATIONS THAT ARE DISSIMILAR BUT WHOSE REQUIREMENTS  ARE  EQUIVALENT,
 WHEN VIEWED AS A COMPOSITE OF SKILLS, EFFORT, RESPONSIBILITY AND WORKING
 CONDITIONS.  THE PRINCIPLE OF FAIR AND EQUAL PAY FOR EQUIVALENT VALUE OF
 WORK REQUIRES THAT CONSIDERATION OF SEX, RACE OR NATIONAL  ORIGIN  SHALL
 NOT INFLUENCE DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF COMPENSATION.
   (D) IT SHALL NOT BE AN UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE FOR AN EMPLOYER TO
 PAY  DIFFERENT  COMPENSATION  TO EMPLOYEES, WHERE SUCH PAYMENTS ARE MADE
 PURSUANT TO:
   (1) A BONA FIDE SENIORITY OR MERIT SYSTEM;
   (2) A BONA FIDE SYSTEM THAT MEASURES EARNINGS BY QUANTITY  OR  QUALITY
 OF PRODUCTION;
   (3) A BONA FIDE SYSTEM BASED ON GEOGRAPHIC DIFFERENTIALS;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01714-01-7

 S. 5480                             2
 
   (4)  ANY  OTHER  BONA  FIDE  FACTOR  OTHER  THAN SEX, RACE OR NATIONAL
 ORIGIN, SUCH AS EDUCATION, TRAINING, OR  EXPERIENCE.  SUCH  FACTOR:  (A)
 SHALL  NOT BE BASED UPON OR DERIVED FROM A SEX, RACE, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN
 BASED DIFFERENTIAL IN COMPENSATION AND (B)  SHALL  BE  JOB-RELATED  WITH
 RESPECT  TO  THE POSITION IN QUESTION AND SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH BUSI-
 NESS NECESSITY. SUCH EXCEPTION UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL NOT APPLY WHEN
 THE EMPLOYEE DEMONSTRATES (I) THAT AN EMPLOYER USES A PARTICULAR EMPLOY-
 MENT PRACTICE THAT CAUSES A DISPARATE IMPACT ON THE BASIS OF SEX,  RACE,
 OR  NATIONAL ORIGIN, (II) THAT AN ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE EXISTS
 THAT WOULD SERVE THE SAME PURPOSE AND NOT PRODUCE SUCH DIFFERENTIAL, AND
 (III) THAT THE EMPLOYER HAS REFUSED TO ADOPT SUCH ALTERNATIVE PRACTICE.
   (E) FOR THE PURPOSE OF PARAGRAPH (D) OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION,  "BUSINESS
 NECESSITY"  SHALL BE DEFINED AS A FACTOR THAT BEARS A MANIFEST RELATION-
 SHIP TO THE EMPLOYMENT IN QUESTION.
   (F) NOTHING SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE  CONSTRUED  TO  IMPEDE,
 INFRINGE  OR  DIMINISH THE RIGHTS AND BENEFITS WHICH ACCRUE TO EMPLOYEES
 THROUGH COLLECTIVE BARGAINING  AGREEMENTS,  OR  OTHERWISE  DIMINISH  THE
 INTEGRITY OF THE EXISTING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RELATIONSHIP.
   §  2.  The civil service law is amended by adding a new section 119 to
 read as follows:
   § 119. EQUIVALENT VALUE OF WORK; SEGREGATED JOB  TITLES  REVIEWED  AND
 ADJUSTED.    THE  CIVIL  SERVICE COMMISSION SHALL PROMULGATE REGULATIONS
 SPECIFYING THE METHODOLOGY FOR  DETERMINING  EQUIVALENT  VALUE  OF  WORK
 BASED  ON  SKILL,  EFFORT,  RESPONSIBILITY,  AND WORKING CONDITIONS. ANY
 METHODOLOGY PRESCRIBED BY THE COMMISSION, SUCH  AS  A  SYSTEMATIC  POINT
 FACTOR  JOB  EVALUATION  SYSTEM, SHALL ENSURE THAT COMPARISON SYSTEMS DO
 NOT IGNORE OR UNDERVALUE THE WORTH OF JOBS WHERE A CERTAIN SEX, RACE, OR
 NATIONAL ORIGIN IS DISPROPORTIONATELY REPRESENTED. FOR THE  PURPOSES  OF
 THIS CHAPTER, A SEGREGATED TITLE SHALL CONSTITUTE ANY TITLE IN WHICH THE
 TOTAL  PERCENTAGE  OF  EMPLOYEES  OF  A PARTICULAR SEX, RACE OR NATIONAL
 ORIGIN IN THE TITLE IS EQUAL TO  OR  GREATER  THAN  ONE  HUNDRED  TWENTY
 PERCENT  OF  THE  PERCENTAGE OF THAT SEX, RACE OR NATIONAL ORIGIN IN THE
 EMPLOY OF THE STATE OR THE POLITICAL SUBDIVISION. THE DEPARTMENT  SHALL,
 UPON  THE  REQUEST  OF  ANY  LOCAL  CIVIL SERVICE ADMINISTRATION, RENDER
 SERVICE OR TECHNICAL ADVICE AND  ASSISTANCE  RELATIVE  TO  THE  POSITION
 CLASSIFICATION  AND  PAY  EQUITY  COMPENSATION ASSESSMENT OF OFFICES AND
 EMPLOYMENTS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF SUCH LOCAL CIVIL SERVICE  ADMINIS-
 TRATION  PURSUANT  TO  SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF SECTION TWENTY-THREE OF THIS
 CHAPTER.
   2. THE PRESIDENT SHALL, BY JANUARY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND  NINETEEN,  AND
 EVERY  FIVE  YEARS  THEREAFTER, SUBMIT TO THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVER-
 NOR'S OFFICE OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS, A LIST SHOWING, BY NEGOTIATING  UNIT
 AND  FOR  MANAGEMENT/CONFIDENTIAL EMPLOYEES, THOSE SEGREGATED TITLES FOR
 WHICH A DISPARITY EXISTS BASED ON THE EQUIVALENT VALUE OF  THE  WORK  AS
 THAT  TERM IS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH (C) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION ONE
 HUNDRED EIGHTEEN OF THIS TITLE. THE PRESIDENT SHALL ALSO SUBMIT  TO  THE
 LEGISLATURE,  THE  GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AND THE DIVI-
 SION OF BUDGET ALONG WITH THE LIST, AN  ESTIMATE  OF  THE  APPROPRIATION
 NECESSARY  TO  CORRECT SUCH DISPARITIES. WHEN THE DEPARTMENT CREATES NEW
 TITLES OR, BECAUSE OF MERGERS OR TAKE-OVERS, TRANSFERS  STATE  WORKFORCE
 FROM ONE TITLE TO ANOTHER TITLE, THE PRESIDENT SHALL RE-SUBMIT SUCH LIST
 OF  ANY  SEGREGATED  TITLES  FOR  WHICH  A DISPARITY EXISTS BASED ON THE
 EQUIVALENT VALUE OF WORK AND SHALL SUBMIT TO THE LEGISLATURE, THE GOVER-
 NOR'S OFFICE OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AND THE DIVISION OF BUDGET WITH  SUCH
 LIST AN ESTIMATE OF THE APPROPRIATION NECESSARY TO CORRECT SUCH DISPARI-
 TIES.

 S. 5480                             3
 
   3. BY OCTOBER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND EIGHTEEN, AND EVERY FIVE YEARS THER-
 EAFTER,  ALL  LOCAL  CIVIL  SERVICE  ADMINISTRATIONS SHALL SUBMIT TO THE
 PRESIDENT OF THE COMMISSION A LIST SHOWING, BY NEGOTIATING UNIT AND  FOR
 MANAGEMENT/CONFIDENTIAL  EMPLOYEES,  THOSE SEGREGATED TITLES FOR WHICH A
 DISPARITY  EXISTS  BASED ON THE EQUIVALENT VALUE OF THE WORK. THE PRESI-
 DENT OF THE COMMISSION SHALL COMPILE THE LISTS PROVIDED TO HIM OR HER BY
 THE LOCAL CIVIL SERVICE ADMINISTRATIONS AND, BY JANUARY FIRST, TWO THOU-
 SAND NINETEEN, AND EVERY FIVE YEARS THEREAFTER, SUBMIT TO  THE  LEGISLA-
 TURE AND THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS, A LIST SHOWING, BY
 NEGOTIATING UNIT AND FOR MANAGEMENT/CONFIDENTIAL EMPLOYEES, THOSE SEGRE-
 GATED  TITLES FOR WHICH A DISPARITY EXISTS BASED ON THE EQUIVALENT VALUE
 OF THE WORK AS REPORTED BY THE LOCAL CIVIL SERVICE ADMINISTRATIONS. WHEN
 A LOCAL CIVIL SERVICE ADMINISTRATION CREATES NEW TITLES OR,  BECAUSE  OF
 MERGERS  OR  TAKE-OVERS,  TRANSFERS  WORKFORCE FROM ONE TITLE TO ANOTHER
 TITLE, IT SHALL RE-SUBMIT TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE COMMISSION A  LIST  OF
 ANY  SEGREGATED  TITLES FOR WHICH A DISPARITY EXISTS BASED ON THE EQUIV-
 ALENT VALUE OF WORK, WHO WILL THEN SUBMIT THE LIST TO THE LEGISLATURE.
   4. UPON THE DISCOVERY OF THE EXISTENCE OF SEGREGATED TITLES FOR  WHICH
 A  DISPARITY  EXISTS BASED ON THE EQUIVALENT VALUE OF WORK, THE EMPLOYER
 AND THE STATE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION OR LOCAL CIVIL  SERVICE  ADMINIS-
 TRATION, AS APPLICABLE, SHALL CORRECT THE DISPARITY.
   5. AN EMPLOYER WHO IS IN VIOLATION OF PARAGRAPH (C) OF SUBDIVISION ONE
 OF  SECTION  ONE  HUNDRED  EIGHTEEN  OF THIS TITLE, AS DETERMINED BY THE
 COMMISSION, SHALL NOT, IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THIS SECTION, REDUCE  THE
 COMPENSATION  OF  ANY  EMPLOYEE OR REDUCE THE COMPENSATION FOR ANY POSI-
 TION.
   6. BEGINNING WITH THE  BUDGET  REQUESTS  FOR  THE  FIRST  FISCAL  YEAR
 COMMENCING  AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, THE GOVERNOR SHALL
 INCLUDE THE APPROPRIATION NECESSARY  TO  ENSURE  THAT  COMPENSATION  FOR
 STATE  EMPLOYEES  ARE SET IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN
 AND PARAGRAPH (C) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN  OF
 THIS TITLE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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