Private companies would no longer be able to restrict their workers from talking about their pay among themselves under a new bill expected to be introduced in Delaware later this week.
No final version has been submitted, but a draft bill would forbid employers from firing employees for comparing salaries.
House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst (D-Bear) says it’s one way to ensure women get equal pay as men for the same job.
“There has to be an awareness in the business between males and females and what their counterparts are making and it shouldn’t be a secret on what their wages are," said Longhurst. "They should be able to talk about it and see if they’re getting paid a fair wage.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Delaware women earn 18 cents less than men on average, with that gap widening for minority women.
12 states so far have enacted similar 'pay secrecy' laws, including New Jersey, while President Obama issued an executive order in 2014 forbidding federal contractors from implementing those policies.
Delaware's proposal won’t require businesses to implement full wage transparency – making salaries open and accessible to anyone within the company – or force an employee to talk about their pay.
Longhurst, who joined more than a dozen lawmakers in a packed hearing room Tuesday to advocate for equal pay for women, says closing that gap is inevitable.
"I think as women progress in the business world where they become the leaders, I think that will help change that mindset and it does take time. But you are seeing that – women are the breadwinners five out of 10 homes in the State of Delaware.”
Last year, Longhurst and others helped pass a law requiring state contractors to have equal pay policies when using state money.
A full package of women-centric bills – including this measure – will be released later this week.