REMARKS
Council Member Williams provides opening remarks on workplace discrimination and proposed legislation
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4 min
Council Member Nantasha M. Williams opens the Committee on Civil and Human Rights hearing, focusing on workplace discrimination and several proposed bills aimed at increasing pay transparency, accommodations for caregivers, and reporting on pay equity. She emphasizes the importance of combating workplace discrimination and introduces five bills that will be discussed during the hearing.
- Intro 808-A: Expands pay transparency requirements in job postings
- Intro 871: Requires reasonable accommodations for employees with caregiving responsibilities
- Intro 982: Mandates large employers to report pay data annually
- Intro 984: Requires an annual report analyzing pay equity data in the private sector
- Intro 1064: Aims to increase transparency around promotional opportunities in the workplace
Nantasha M. Williams
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Okay.
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For real this time, good afternoon everyone.
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My name is Natasha Williams, and I serve as chairs of the Committee on Civil and Human Rights.
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Thank you to everyone joining us for this afternoon's hearing.
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Today's oversight topic is not an entirely new one for this committee.
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While many advancements have been made in combating it, discrimination in the workplace is something we continue to fight in this city.
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And just as importantly, we also continue to fight to make sure New Yorkers have the means to seek justice when they feel they have been discriminated against in their workplace.
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While there is no such thing as an acceptable form of discrimination, there is something uniquely dangerous in the kind that happens at work.
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We spend a lot of time at our jobs, and many of us are at work even more than at home.
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We depend on our jobs to put a roof over our heads and food on our tables, and discrimination in the workplace doesn't only cause harm to those who are directly targeted, it can also create an incredibly toxic and hostile environment for those around them.
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Imagine having to face multiple days a week, every week, at a job that you need to support your family.
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This is what many New Yorkers face.
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This afternoon, I look forward to learning more about today's landscape in relation to workplace workplace discrimination, especially within the context of the most recent amendments to New York City's human rights law.
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I'm hoping for a fruitful discussion with the administration surrounding its thoughts on current enforcement practices of anti discrimination laws and policy, as well as feedback from all witnesses on the legislation that will be heard.
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Heard.
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We'll start with intro 808 a, sponsored by majority with Brooks Powers.
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This bill would amend and expand the pay transparency law enacted in 2022 by providing additional guidance on what factors may be relevant to determining a pay range for a specific position and will require additional information be disclosed in job postings such as benefits, eligibility, and potential for bonuses or stock options.
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Intro 871, sponsored by council member Hanks, would require employers to offer caregivers reasonable work accommodations that would enable them to uphold their caregiving obligations, so long as those accommodations do not interfere with an employee's ability to satisfy the essential responsibilities of the job.
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This requirement would correspond to existing requirements that employees with disabilities receive reasonable accommodations that allow them to do their jobs.
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Intro 982, sponsored by Councilmember Caban, would apply to employers who are covered by Federal Fair Labor Standards or the New York State Labor Law and who employ more than 25 employees.
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Those employers will be required to report annually to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection on their employee's total annual salary or wages, location of employment, job title, and various demographic data, and an additional and any additional information required by DCWP that would allow the city to better understand employers' employer's compliance with pay equity laws.
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Intro 984, sponsored by majority leader Farias, would require the Office of Data Analytics to work with DCWP and CCHR CCHR to publish an annual report analyzing data on pay equity in the private sector.
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Lastly, we have my bill, intro 1064.
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This bill aims to increase transparency around promotional opportunities in the workplace.
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It would require employers to make reasonable efforts to disseminate information about promotional and other job opportunities to their employers on the same day and prior to the date that the employer makes a hiring or selection decision.
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Within 30 days, employers will be required to disseminate the following information to employees who would work regularly with the selected candidate.
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Candidate, the name of the selected candidate, the candidate's former former job title and new job title, and information about how other employers employees might demonstrate interest in similar opportunities in the future.
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It is my hope that this bill can aid in removing the anxiety and barriers around upward advancement in the workplace, and help all New Yorkers be able to feel more knowledgeable, confident, and comfortable in engaging with their employers about future opportunities.
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Thank you to committee staff, Jessica and William, and finance staff for their work on this hearing.
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And thank you to my colleagues who have also joined us today, council members Joseph, Riley, and Marte, Hanks, Kavan, and majority leader.
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And with that, I'll actually turn it to our majority leader for some remarks on her bill.
