WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP: WAGE GAP
Development Agency, which, among
other things, enforces labor laws that
promote wage equity. Su’s department
primarily relies on voluntary compli-
ance and worker complaints to enforce
fair wage practices but also produces
educational tools and talking points
needed to understand fair pay.
The group also is launching an ini-
tiative that educates college students
on their rights as they move into the
workforce. On average, there is a gap
of more than $12,000 between the
median starting salary for a 22-year-
old woman and her male counterpart.
“We recognize that laws can only do so
much,” Press says. “Those of us behind
the laws are putting in the hard work
to educate employers and workers and
encourage companies to pledge equal
pay and increase transparency in their
pay equity data.”
Su also believes there is a need for
systemic change in how wages are set
and how employers value different
employees. “Employers need to know
that pay equity is the law and that there
is a consequence to unlawful behavior,”
Su says. “With California’s Fair Pay Act,
paying people differently for substan-
tially similar work is a form of wage
theft, and it doesn’t require proof of
discrimination.”
Since California’s legislation was
passed, there has been a significant in-
crease in the number of wage discrim-
ination claims — up from six in 2015
to 184 in 2018. “That’s the impact of
legislation and education,” Su says.
Required reports kept private
Intel, an inaugural signer of the CA
Pay Equity Pledge, was heralded for
its transparency and precedent-set-
ting action of publicly releasing its
compensation data, broken down by
gender and race, in December 2019.
The federal government requires com-
panies with 100 or more employees to
produce salary reports that include the
racial or ethnic and gender composi-
tion of their workforce by specific job
categories, plus the hours worked and
pay data. But employers can keep their
submissions private. Intel is the only
large company so far that has released
its data publicly, and the numbers
weren’t particularly flattering, reveal-
ing that white and Asian men predom-
inantly fill the company’s top roles.
Overall, many have applauded Intel’s
transparency, while at the same time
acknowledging the tech industry still
has work to do.
“There’s always the risk of releas-
ing this information; there’s always
potential backlash over the data not
being where you want it to be,” says
Julie Ann Overcash, vice president
of human resources and director of
global rewards and talent retention
for Intel. “But we truly believe that you
have to be willing to put yourself out
there as a company that can withstand
criticism to achieve real progress. And
MTA is proud to be a women-led
organization with a diverse and
talented team who create the
community’s most inspired spaces
for an amazing range of clients.
Inspired to Lead
We would like to congratulate all of Comstock’s
“Women in Leadership” — and all women
leaders throughout our Capital Region!
MTA Inspired Spaces
1810 13th Street, Suite 100
Rachael Camillo-Bennett
President
74
comstocksmag.com | March 2020
Joseanna Tse
CEO
916.373.1800
www.mtaoffice.com