Helping Close the Pay Gap in California

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Category: California News

Sacramento, California - Today, one day before National Equal Pay Day, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California Labor Secretary Julie A. Su, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and TIME’S UP announced #EqualPayCA, a campaign to help close the pay gap in California.

Together, they are promoting brand new resources (found here: https://women.ca.gov/californiapayequity/) from the Commission’s Pay Equity Task Force to educate employees, employers and labor unions on how to close the pay gap, and launching an awareness campaign to educate the public on the causes of the pay gap and how to close it. #EqualPayCA was launched in coordination with TIME’S UP PAY UP, an awareness campaign from TIME’S UP aimed at closing the pay gap nationwide.

The Office of the First Partner and CCSWG are also announcing 13 inaugural corporate commitments to their CA Equal Pay Pledge. These businesses have committed to conduct an annual company-wide gender pay analysis, review hiring and promotion processes and procedures to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers and promote best practices that will close the pay gap to ensure fundamental equity for all workers.

The inaugural signatories include:

“California has the strongest equal pay laws in the nation - but there is still more work to do,” said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “That’s why I applaud these California companies for their commitment to pay equity, and why I am excited to partner with the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and TIME’S UP to continue to work toward closing the pay gap. Together, we can uplift California women to ensure a more equitable future for all.”

“We are excited to have sponsored the work of the Pay Equity Task force and recognize the importance of these resources in establishing a real cultural change in the state of California that ensures women are treated equitably in the workplace,” said CCSWG Chair Dr. Alisha Wilkins. “We are thrilled to join First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and TIME’S UP to promote this important effort and close the wage gap in California”

"Across industries, women in the workforce earn less money than men do, and women of color often lose out the most. While California has some of the strongest laws on the books to ensure equal pay, passing a law is only the first step,” said Rebecca Goldman, interim CEO of TIME’S UP. “That’s why we are proud to partner with First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls on #EqualPayCA as the first step in our TIME’S UP PAY UP awareness campaign. The time for equal pay for all women is now.”​

Today’s announcement also drew the support of business and community leaders:

“Getting strong laws on the books is only the first step; to fulfill the promise of pay equity, we need employees to be aware of their rights, employers to have the tools to do the right thing, and enforcement agencies committed to effectively investigating violations,” said California Labor Secretary Julie A. Su. “The tools and resources we have created help on all of those fronts.”

"AT&T is committed to pay equality – regardless of gender or ethnicity – for people who hold the same jobs, have the same experience and performance levels, and work in the same geographic area,” said Rhonda Johnson, state president of AT&T California. “Equal pay for equal work is part of our strong commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce, and we appreciate the opportunity to join First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom in this ground-breaking initiative.”

“Equal pay is not just about the equitable treatment of women or an individual company’s fair treatment of women - it is about human belonging. Equal pay for equal work is foundational for anyone to feel like they can truly belong at their workplace,” said Beth Axelrod, Vice President of Global Employee Experience at Airbnb. “And for Airbnb, whose mission is belonging, equal pay is foundational when it comes to advancing belonging - and that means equal pay for equal work for all. We are proud to join California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and the California Pay Equity Task Force in the Pay Equity Pledge.”

"Equal pay is about fair compensation for work performance and improving the quality of life for employees and their families," said Jeanna Steele, Sunrun General Counsel and Member of the California Pay Equity Task Force. "Sunrun is proud to take the California Equal Pay Pledge and strongly encourages all businesses across the state and beyond to join this movement."

“I am very pleased that the Pay Equity Task Force has completed this clear and comprehensive guide designed to assure effective implementation of California’s equal pay law that I authored in 2015, a measure that has become the model for 41 other states,” said Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson. “Guaranteeing equal pay for substantially similar work is critically important if we are to achieve economic opportunity for working women in today’s world. This important report should become the template for all employers in achieving that goal.”