Gov. Brown Signs New Ban On Employer Requests For Salary History Information
In October, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 168, which enacts Labor Code Section 432.3, prohibiting employers from asking job applicants for their salary histories and prohibiting employers from relying on salary history information as a factor in determining what salary to offer an applicant. Labor Code Section 432.3 will affect employers and job applicants alike.
Commencing on January 1, 2018, employers will no longer be able to request salary history information from job applicants. The new law will also require employers to provide to applicants a position’s pay scale upon reasonable request.
Human Resource Managers and other hiring personnel should be instructed to refrain from asking job applicants about their salary history and employers should remove salary history questions from their employment applications. However, job applicants will still be able to voluntarily provide information concerning their previous salaries. If a job applicant discloses salary history information without prompting, the new ban will not prohibit an employer from considering or relying on that information. But, to insulate themselves from potential litigation, employers may want to document the disclosure before using voluntarily disclosed salary information.
Applicants for employment may gain new leverage in salary negotiations once Labor Code Section 432.3 becomes law.
Ezer Williamson Law provides a wide range of employment services to employers and employees. Contact us at (310) 277-7747 to see how we can help you with your employment law concerns.
