State Sen. Jackson Talks Fair Pay with Council’s Gender Equity Committee

The Bay Area Council’s Gender Equity Committee on Thursday (Sept. 15) welcomed state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) for an invigorating discussion hosted by member company Lyft about promoting workplace cultures of equality. Sen. Jackson authored the California Fair Pay Act, landmark legislation that established the strongest equal pay law in the country and went into effect in January. More than a half century after John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act to abolish wage discrimination based on gender, women in the United States still earn on average only .79 cents for every dollar men earn. Jackson’s legislation strengthens federal regulations and marks a great step forward in closing that wage gap.

After fighting for pay equity for 35 years, Sen. Jackson attributed the success of this bill — which received unanimous approval in the Senate and nearly unanimous approval in the Assembly — to the convincing economic argument.  Unequal pay costs California women $39 billion annually, which is money that could be flowing to businesses and the overall state economy. Following a welcome by Lyft Public Policy Manager Rena Davis, Sen. Jackson discussed other strategies that will produce more equitable workplaces, including promoting more women to board leadership positions and adopting family friendly policies such as paid parental leave and on-site child care.

Many of these workplace practices are highlighted in the Bay Area Council Economic Institute’s recent Best Practices Resource Guide. The Gender Equity Committee is Co-Chaired by Peg McAllister of Lee Hecht Harrison, Christopher Ruhl of PwC and Stuart Newton of Deloitte. To engage on the Council’s gender equity work, please contact Policy Manager Emily Loper.