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Statement

Moms Leader Celebrates Vote to End Use of Pay History in Setting Salaries in Washington State

April 12, 2019
Equal Pay, Washington

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Statement of leaders of MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families – including more than 40,000 in Washington State – on state Senate passage of the E.S.H.B. 1696 today:

“Washington State took an important step forward on equal pay today — in a strong bipartisan vote the State Senate passed E.S.H.B. 1696, which bans employers from asking about pay history. The bill was already passed by the State House.

“Washington will join six other states in banning all employers from asking about pay history. It also provides new rights to some job applicants. Upon being offered a position, applicants may request the minimum salary or hourly rate for a position if the employer has at least 15 employees. 

“This bill will be a new, powerful tool against pay discrimination in the state, which is entrenched and driven by centuries of sexism, racism, and systems of oppression. With this new, common-sense protection, Washington will be one step closer to equal pay for equal work.

“MomsRising member Julia Buck, from Seattle, knows just how badly this is needed. She was offered a job, but her employer reduced the salary by $10,000 once Julia provided her pay history. She later found out that a male colleague was being paid $7,000 more for doing the same job, despite having no relevant experience whatsoever. Julia had seven years of relevant experience. But what her male colleague didn’t have, according to her HR department, was salary history. She estimates that starting at this lower salary cost her tens of thousands of dollars in income over five years, between salary, bonuses, and rates of increase. Salaries at her next two jobs were premised on her salary there, so the harm compounded over time.

‘I know I’m not alone.’ Julia says ‘Lots of other women have faced wage discrimination. Pay discrimination is a moral issue and it hurts women and families. I also think it hurts businesses – certainly it affected my morale and productivity. And it hurts our economy.’

“With this new law in place, fewer women will have experiences like Julia’s.”

--Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO, MomsRising

 “The bill will now go to the House for concurrence before going to Governor Inslee to be signed into law.

“This is a great day for Washington State, where we have also recently celebrated wins on paycheck transparency and paid family and medical leave. As a result of equal pay victories like these, women, moms, families, local communities, and our state’s economy will be stronger.” 

--Statement of Maggie Humphreys, Washington State MomsForce Director, MomsRising

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.