The Montgomery County Council is tackling inequities in pay for women and minorities working for county government.
Three months into his first term on the council, At-Large member Evan Glass on Tuesday introduced a bill that would prohibit the county from requesting a job candidate’s salary history.
“When hiring managers have the discretion to rely on job applicants’ pay history to determine their salary, individuals can quickly become stuck in a cycle in which they become undervalued, and this system disproportionately affects women,” Glass said.
“When such discrepancy exists, it might seem like a small issue for some, but the multiplier effect can become great … and make no mistake about it, this is a real problem right here in Montgomery County,” he said.
Glass said data gathered by county officials shows women earn about 79 cents to every $1 earned by male counterparts.
His data provided examples of women being paid significantly less than men in various departments, despite having longer tenures and holding the same positions.
For example, a female manager in the county’s Department of Transportation who has been employed a year longer than a man who makes $28,000 more per year. In the Department of Health and Human Services, a female program manager earns a salary of 33.1 percent less than the lone male on the same pay scale. None of the 12 women on the same pay level make the same or more than the man.
Glass said Latinas working for the county are the most disproportionately affected, earning 47 cents for every dollar men earn.
The fiscal impact of the change is not clear, Glass said.
Under the proposed legislation, which does not apply to contractors, applicants could volunteer their salary history if they believed it would help justify a higher pay.
The eight other members of the council, which includes one woman, have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, virtually guaranteeing its approval.
Council President Nancy Navarro said the inequities are “disappointing,” and hopes the legislation will correct “what seems to be a systemic issue.”
Glass said he noticed the discrepancies when he began hiring his council staff and was told they would be required to provide pay stubs to validate their salaries.
“There are many people who don’t want to face the truth of the matter. They claim the pay gap exists because women make choices like having children,” said Leonette Dixon, a county correctional officer, at a news conference after the bill was introduced. “As a woman of color, especially in a profession not traditionally chosen by women, I know that prejudice can take a lot of different forms, but the prejudice of pay discrimination does not have to be part of the workforce.”
Council Vice President Sidney Katz commended Glass, saying it’s an example that the county shouldn’t continue doing something just because “we’ve always done it that way.”
“This is an example that when someone realizes what we’re doing is not correct and we want to correct it, that we join together to do it,” Katz said.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
