The City Council approved legislation on Wednesday to require employers to list minimum and maximum salaries on all job openings in New York City.
The bill applies to any employer with four or more employees. The only exception to the four-person rule are employers of domestic workers, who must post salary information regardless of staff size.
“It is long overdue that New York City address the cause of significant inequity in the local hiring process: employers’ refusal to disclose a position’s salary,” said Manhattan Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal, who sponsored the bill. “Forcing employers to disclose salary ranges for available positions will also help us to more readily identify systemic pay inequities.”
The bill applies to advertisements for private and public sector jobs, as well as promotions and transfer opportunities.
Currently, New York City employers are allowed to withhold pay information until the end of the hiring process.
Advocates of the bill argue that this forces applications into unequal negotiations throughout the hiring process without the critical piece of knowledge around salary.
“Lack of salary transparency is discriminatory and anti-worker,” said Rosenthal. “Every New Yorker should have the right to determine whether they will be able to support themselves and their family when they apply for a job. It is time to level the playing field, and restore some dignity to New Yorkers seeking employment.”
The council voted 41 to 7 in favor of the bill.
"This smacks as something someone who never has run a business would support, and is an unnecessary interference in a contract negotiation," said Councilman Joe Borelli, the Republican minority leader in the council, who voted against the bill.
The bill does not impact temporary employment opportunities as agencies are already required to provide salary information after interviewing applications, according to the state’s Wage Theft Prevention Act.
Job postings without salary range information can be reported to the city’s Commission on Human Rights.