After a years-long battle in the courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld the legality of Philadelphia’s policy banning employers from asking job applicants for their salary history or relying on that information when setting pay. This decision will help close the wage gap in Philadelphia, and set an important precedent for future equal pay decisions.
With this decision, Philadelphia’s workers will no longer be subject to questions about their salary history— a practice that enables employers to discriminate against groups that historically earn less from the outset of their careers, including women, people of color, and especially those who are mothers. In 2019, we successfully led a campaign to pass a New York State passed its own salary history ban, joining dozens of other jurisdictions in making this important step towards closing the wage gap and advancing gender equality.
A Better Balance was proud to sign on to an amicus brief in support of this effort, led by our partners at the Women’s Law Project.
