Ontario brings in 'pay transparency' bill

[Independent voter]

I know I hate it when they ask me at an interview "how much are you making now?" I know they're going to use the figure I give to offer me as a salary.

This article says if everyone knows what everyone else is making then they can tell if they're getting a fair wage. If Larry is getting $65K a year and you're only getting $50K and Larry is known to be a slacker, you can ask for a raise.

I'm kind of for the bill.





http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront...-gap-1.4563768

Ontario introduced legislation Tuesday that aims to close the wage gap between women and men in the province.

If passed, the "pay transparency" bill would require all publicly advertised job postings to include a salary rate or range, bar employers from asking about past compensation and prohibit reprisal against employees who do discuss or disclose compensation.

It would also create a framework that would require large employers to track and report compensation gaps based on gender and other diversity characteristics, and disclose the information to the province.

The pay transparency measures will begin with the Ontario public service before applying to employers with more than 500 employees. It will later extend to those with more than 250 workers.

The government says it will spend up to $50 million over the next three years on the initiative.

Ontario gets a C in gender wage equality, new report finds
Ontario Sunshine List sharpens call for equal pay for women
Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the legislation — called Then Now Next: Ontario's Strategy for Women's Economic Empowerment — during a Women's Empowerment Summit at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.

"We know that too many women still face systemic barriers to economic advancement," Wynne said in a statement. "It's time for change."

According to the province, the gender wage gap has remained stagnant over the past 10 years, with women earning approximately 30 per cent less than men.

The government said it looked to other jurisdictions to create the basis of its legislation, including existing laws in Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Wynne has made the themes of fairness and opportunity key planks of her bid for re-election this spring, pitching policies like the province's increase to minimum wage and expansion of drug coverage for people aged 24 and under as part of those efforts.

[Dezerte]

Sounds like a win for workers rights over there.

[zenkai]

That could backfire, if you're a skilled worker but you can't negotiate a higher way because some fucktard will complain that you are new making more money than them.

[Deleted]

That could backfire, if you're a skilled worker but you can't negotiate a higher way because some fucktard will complain that you are new making more money than them.

i'm not 100% certain that this law is going to make it illegal to pay rocket surgeons the mire than burger flippers.

[Dacien]

That could backfire, if you're a skilled worker but you can't negotiate a higher way because some fucktard will complain that you are new making more money than them.

Government solutions to problems have been known on occasion to have unintended consequences.

[Kraenen]

Is she just doubling down on the myth of the wage gap? It really depends how a company is supposed to report the gap. If they're required to report only the superficial earnings this will be a mistake of statistical ignorance.

[Machismo]

Government solutions to problems have been known on occasion to have unintended consequences.

You mean like banning gay marriage, restricting Muslim immigration, building a wall, pushing to end visas, imposing tariffs, lowering taxes without lowering spending...

Shall we go on?

[xxcloud417xx]

I'm not a fan of Wynne's new policies as a whole. A lot of them are going to hurt the small businesses in Ontario, but then she comes up with one or two that I do agree with like this one.

Best way to keep pay disparity around is to propagate the lie that discussing your pay is taboo.

[Pyro1990]

I can see how this would be beneficial to all workers. The only thing I can see off the bat is that I know of some people that view their salary as private information. I feel like i've seen this attitude more in older people and I dont know how prevelant it may be.

Also, I remember reading one of the reasons women make less is because they are generally less likely to negociate for higher wages during interview/highering procedures. If wages are well known for that position this could help with that.

- - - Updated - - -

i'm not 100% certain that this law is going to make it illegal to pay rocket surgeons the mire than burger flippers.

Pretty sure he's talking within a company. The idea that is person A is a good worker and gets a raise because of it could this system give person B the power to file a greivance even tho they did not have the performance for the raise.

[spanishninja]

This will also force employers to much more specifically define the criteria for grading job performance. Once it is possible to directly compare your salary with that of your equal-position colleague, then it is up to your boss to prove why that person deserves to make more than you, and that will likely involve specific and measurable parameters instead of "but he works so hard".

[Pyro1990]

You mean like banning gay marriage, restricting Muslim immigration, building a wall, pushing to end visas, imposing tariffs, lowering taxes without lowering spending...

Shall we go on?

Sounding a little cynical there lol

[Video Games]

I make more than the guys at work cause I work more and have been there the longest. Step it up, guys.

[Pyro1990]

This will also force employers to much more specifically define the criteria for grading job performance. Once it is possible to directly compare your salary with that of your equal-position colleague, then it is up to your boss to prove why that person deserves to make more than you, and that will likely involve specific and measurable parameters instead of "but he works so hard".

I wonder how this will effect seniority/tenure systems. I guess they are pretty easily enumerated.

[Endus]

Is she just doubling down on the myth of the wage gap? It really depends how a company is supposed to report the gap. If they're required to report only the superficial earnings this will be a mistake of statistical ignorance.

The pay gap isn't really the motive. Current standard practice is that nobody discusses pay, and it can get you fired if you do. As a result, there isn't any easy way to know how much your colleagues are making, to determine if your own compensation is enough. It also makes it difficult to track disparities in pay scales, regardless of the reasons they may exist.

Rather than attack those pay gaps directly, this is attempting to kick out some of the supports that have allowed such gaps to continue to perpetuate, and allow the issue to correct itself, once people can see what they and their colleagues are making.

[Heladys]

I make more than the guys at work cause I work more and have been there the longest. Step it up, guys.

That's exactly how it should be. Assuming you work more because you're doing more work and not because you suck and it takes you longer to get things done.

[Kraenen]

I make more than the guys at work cause I work more and have been there the longest. Step it up, guys.

Looks like you're in store for some equality.

[spanishninja]

I wonder how this will effect seniority/tenure systems. I guess they are pretty easily enumerated.

yeah, years of service is a measurable thing. also, more senior employees tend not to be at the same job level as new hires.

[Endus]

I wonder how this will effect seniority/tenure systems. I guess they are pretty easily enumerated.

I mean, government employment is the obvious example. Most government jobs have a standard pay range and classification. Everyone in that classification gets paid on the exact same scale. You go up the scale based on seniority; if you have comparable experience, you might get a bump at the outset. You can't ask for a raise, because it's all set down by objective principles. If you want more money, you can look to upgrade into a better-paying classification, either based on the experience you've developed or based on training you've undertaken in planning for it.

There's basically no room for complaints, since it's all based on simple math. If someone's in a PM-04 classification for 4 years, you can tell exactly what their salary is, just based on that.

[McFuu]

This doesn't sound bad. But it's just going to say Roger gets paid more than Cherrie because he works more overtime.

[Video Games]

That's exactly how it should be. Assuming you work more because you're doing more work and not because you suck and it takes you longer to get things done.

No i did a 17 hour shift yesterday because a poopy boy called out sick.

Looks like you're in store for some equality.

I'll make sure to go to mra rallys and rip mics out of their hands