Pay-equity law approved
ALBANY (Oct. 12, 2017) — The Albany County Legislature reaffirmed its reputation as a bastion for equity and fairness on Tuesday, when the body unanimously approved legislation aimed at preventing wage gaps among individuals, particularly men and women.
Introduced by Democrat Lynne Lekakis and co-sponsored by several Democratic members, “Local Law P” addresses the gender-wage gap by prohibiting employers in Albany County from inquiring of a job applicant’s salary history before offering them employment. If the County Executive signs the legislation, Albany County would become among the first municipalities in the state to enact such a law.
“I just think what is important is that we try to level the playing field for any body looking for work, at any time, for any reason,” Lekakis said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Among those who spoke in favor of the law were Legislators Bryan M. Clenahan, Joanne Cunningham, Alison McLean Lane and Douglas A. Bullock, as well as members of the Albany County League of Women Voters. You can find links to the evening’s agenda and video from the meeting here. Here’s a snippet from the law:
