CALL FOR ACTION:

(1) Submit testimony supporting SB 2351 (AAUW Equal Pay Bill) before 2:50 pm on Wednesday, January 31

[go to www.capitol.hawaii.gov, enter "SB2351" in the box requesting the bill number, and click on "submit testimony"]

(2) Support the bill in person at the Capitol on Thursday, February 1 at 2:50 pm, Room 229.

Senate Bill 2351 supports equal pay by prohibiting prospective employers from requesting or considering a job applicant's wage or salary history as part of an employment application process or compensation offer and by prohibiting enforced wage secrecy and retaliation or discrimination against employees who disclose, discuss, or inquire about their own or coworkers' wages.

These are important steps in guaranteeing equal pay. Your previous wage is used as a baseline for negotiating your starting salary for your next job, and if your last job had low wages you are starting negotiations in a hole. Also, it is difficult to prove wage discrimination if you are punished for discovering the data you need. 

The hearing is before the Labor Committee and the Judiciary Committee. Committees are persuaded by support; the more people who submit testimony and the more people who show up at hearings, the more likely the Committees are to put energy into passing this bill. 

Please submit testimony if you can, and come to the hearing to lend your support. 

We can win but we have to show up!