A proliferation of state and local developments, including a new pay ratio measure in San Francisco, highlights the timely creation of the Association's new State and Local Activity Committee, chaired by Teri Plummer McClure, Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President, Labor Relations at United Parcel Service, Inc.
Pay Ratio (San Francisco) The San Francisco City Council unanimously approved a resolution proposed by Board Supervisor Jane Kim which addresses executive compensation and the pay ratio. Instead of imposing a surtax or other monetary penalty as originally proposed, the resolution urges the San Francisco Employees Retirement System to vote against "excessive" CEO compensation and publish a report prior to December 1, 2017, which should include the pay ratios of companies in its domestic portfolio, even though such data will not be disclosed under SEC rules until 2018.
Paid Family Leave (Vermont, Oregon) Oregon could well join the ranks of California, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island in offering paid family leave with a new bill that would establish a statewide family and medical leave insurance fund, giving workers up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for themselves or a family member and an additional six weeks following the birth or adoption of a child. A Vermont bill that would give workers 12 weeks of fully paid leave to care for a newborn or adoptee, recover from an illness or take care of a sick family member has stalled in the State House, but could still move to its Senate next year.
Paid Sick Leave (Maryland) A bill that would require employers with over 15 employees to offer 56 hours of paid sick leave yearly has passed the Maryland House of Representatives and the Maryland Senate Finance Committee, and is now up for a full Senate vote. If the Senate passes the measure, Republican Governor Larry Hogan, who offered a competing bill but nevertheless backs this one, is expected to sign it. However, the version passed by the Senate committee contains slight differences from the House version, and both chambers have only until April 10 to agree on a single bill for it to become law.
Ban-the-Box (California) A new California bill would prohibit employers from seeking information regarding criminal history on applications or from considering such history before offering the applicant a conditional offer of employment, among various other restrictions. A number of local governments in California have recently passed or considered similar legislation, including Los Angeles, providing momentum in the state legislature.
Employment Credit Information (District of Columbia) Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the "Fair Credit in Employment Act," banning employers from using or obtaining for employment purposes a job applicant or employee's credit information. Specifically, the law makes it unlawful for an employer to “directly or indirectly require, request, suggest, or cause any employee to submit credit information, or use, accept, refer to, or inquire into an employee’s credit information.” The District's enactment follows ten states and a number of municipalities in passing similar legislation.
Right to Work (New Hampshire) After weeks of intense debate, the Republican-held New Hampshire House of Representatives struck down a right-to-work measure by a vote of 200 to 177. The House further voted not to consider any right-to-work measure for the rest of the session, dealing a major blow to right-to-work proponents and Republican Governor Chris Sununu, who had made right-to-work a priority.
Minimum Wage (Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico) Minimum wage bills have passed at least one committee in three states—Hawaii, New Hampshire, and New Mexico—and have been introduced in a number of others. Hawaii's proposal would take the minimum wage from $9.25 to $15.00 an hour by 2021. A New Hampshire measure would increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $12.00 per hour by 2019. New Mexico, meanwhile, has two bills on the docket: one that will move the minimum wage from $7.75 per hour to $8.45, and another that would up the minimum wage to $9.00 per hour.
