Back in the fall Kate Bryant, a director filming Pay Gap reached out to me via LinkedIn. She wanted to interview me and film a presentation I was scheduled to do for the Women in Construction of Boston about the Gender Pay Gap. How exciting – I was to be on film!

The Question That Started My Petition

Kate asked one question that began an odyssey for me.

“What other legislation do you think is necessary to bring about a complete transformation?”

Kate’s question prompted me to think in terms of politics. My father, uncle, grandfather, and great grandfather all who were elected officials would be appalled that I hadn’t thought in such terms before this question. Now that I was thinking of policy, my mind was spinning. Like most of my great ideas, I woke up with the kernel of an idea for a new law. The kernel has been researched, discussed, drafted, and revised over the months. Now, I’m ready to introduce the idea to the world and ask for your support.

Salary Disclosure to Promote Equality Act

The idea has developed into the Salary Disclosure to Promote Equality Act. The petition asks congress to create and pass an act that would:

• Requires inclusion of the pay range for all job postings for public and private sector jobs
• Removes the requirement for most candidates to be subject to a credit check
• Disallows a requirement for applicants to share salary history
• Prohibits past employers from sharing a previous employee’s salary history
• Allows employees within the same company to share salary information without fear of dismissal

Candidates and employees of both genders are on unequal footing with employers when negotiating pay. The employer knows the salary range for the job and your salary history. Candidates and employees usually do not know the salary range for the job. This act would eliminate this disadvantage for all Americans and better position men and women to negotiate the true value they bring to any job. Ultimately, this will minimize the gender pay gap.

Your Support is Needed

Please support the Salary Disclosure to Promote Equality Act by signing the petition and sharing it with your network of friends, families, co-workers, and acquaintances and virtual networks on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Follow the link to read more details of the act and sign the petition.