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Description
From the Stated Meeting of Philadelphia City Council held Thursday, April 6, 2017:
Councilman Bill Greenlee (At Large) speaks on the legal challenge to Bill No. 160840 by the Chamber of Commerce.
The bill bans inquiries into job applicants' salary histories and was signed into law in December 2016.
Read the bill: http://bit.ly/PHLSalaryHist
A
Thank
You
councilman
on
behalf
the
majority,
a
chair
recognizes
councilman,
really
Thank
You.
Mr.
president,
many
may
already
know
that
the
Chamber
of
Commerce
is
filing
a
federal
lawsuit
today
challenging
bill
number
160
840,
which
I
sponsored
along
with
Councilwoman
Reynolds
Brown
and
which
council
passed
unanimously
and
was
signed
into
law
by
mayor
Kenny.
A
This
law
will
prohibit
employers
from
asking
prospective
employees
about
their
wage
history
and
is
an
attempt
to
deal
with
the
widely
acknowledged
wage
disparity
between
men
and
women,
apparently
included
in
their
lawsuit,
is
the
allegation
that
the
law
and
fringes
on
an
employer's
right
to
free
speech.
So
in
that
vein,
I
know
we've
heard
from
a
lot
of
speeches
today,
but
please
allow
me
to
exercise
my
free
speech
rate,
although
I
am
upset
at
this
lawsuit.
A
My
upset
is
tempered
somewhat
by
the
fact
that,
to
be
honest
with
you,
the
Chamber
of
Commerce
just
doesn't
get
it
to
start
with
they
don't
even
they
don't
even
get
how
to
oppose
a
bill
correctly.
When
we
took
up
this
bill
last
year,
the
chamber
didn't
even
appear
at
the
hearing
sent
what
I
would
call
a
rather
mild
opposition
letter.
We
suggested
amendments
that
we
at
least
partially
incorporated
in
the
bill.
A
Yet
after
we
unanimously
passed
the
bill,
the
chamber,
together
with
comcast
and
I'll,
get
to
them
in
a
second
started,
going
ballistic
and
threatening
lawsuits,
which
they
now
have
done.
The
chamber
just
doesn't
get
it.
The
chamber
doesn't
get
that
wage
equity
as
a
rapidly
growing
nationwide
issue.
The
state
of
Massachusetts
has
already
passed
a
similar
law
and
there
are
many
many
pending
laws,
including
in
New
York
City
in
San,
Francisco
and
there's
even
been
a
bill
introduced
into
the
US
Congress
and
as
councilman
Reynolds
brown
stated
during
recent
budget
hearings.
A
The
issue
is
discussed
on
national
morning.
News
shows
the
chamber
has
stated
that
the
law
itself
isn't
a
total
problem,
but
it
is
quote
the
straw
that
broke
the
camel's
back
unquote
of
laws
that
burden
businesses.
Let
me
first
state
that,
while
no
one's
back
is
being
broken
by
this
law,
I'm
sure
there's
a
lot
of
women's
backs
that
ate
from
doing
the
same
job
as
men
and
getting
paid
oftentimes
significantly
less.
But
as
far
as
a
city
being
anti-business,
you
know
we
have
passed
laws
that
have
helped
workers
which
the
chamber
doesn't
get.
A
A
Only
one-third
of
businesses
paid
Burt
due
to
100
the
$100,000
exemption
and
other
tax
credits.
The
Councilwoman
Sanchez
championed
wage
tax
rates
have
been
slashed
over
twenty
percent
net
profits.
Tax
rates
have
been
slashed
over
twenty
percent.
Over
many
years.
Gross
tax
receipts
have
been
slashed
over
fifty
six
percent.
It
is
estimated
as
the
years
go
on
with
the
tax,
with
the
business
friendly
actions
that
are
planned,
that
the
total
plan
business
tax
is
projected
to
amount
of
582
million
dollars
in
for
go
on
revenue
in
the
next
five
years,
so
I
mean
I.
A
A
The
towering
buildings
that
are
just
rest
of
us,
which
we
helped
with
significant
tax
breaks
and
incentives,
I
believe
to
it,
attest
to
the
fact
that
we
certainly
haven't
been
anti
business,
and
it
is
projected
that
once
tower,
2
is
completed
that
we
may
give
as
much
as
160
million
dollars
in
tax
breaks
to
comcast
for
being
here.
We're
glad
that
we're
here,
they're
here
we're
but
I,
think
we
have
done
our
part
to
help
them
be
here.
A
A
Finally,
you
know
I,
guess
the
chamber
and
Comcast
thinks
that
they
are
showing
strength
by
putting
in
this
lawsuit
and
I
guess
they
think,
as
the
future
goes
on,
they'll
get
more
respect
from
us
by
filing
this
lawsuit
to
hold
up
the
ability
for
women
to
get
paid
on
an
equal
basis
with
men.
Let
me
just
finally
say,
but
at
least
from
this
member
they
won't
get
it
Thank
You.
Mr.
president,
thank
you.