New bill aims to level wage gap in Philadelphia

A bill introduced in Philadelphia City Council is designed to fight wage inequality in the city. 

Councilman Bill Greenlee said his bill would remove the salary history requirement in some job applications.  “First of all, does what you made in the past really matter?” he said. “Why is that significant? Salaries should be based on job performance, their experience, that kind of thing … their abilities.”Removing salary history should help stop perpetuating unequal pay, Greenlee said.”Women and minorities are paid less than white men for the same job that they do,” he said. “And if you keep basing salary on past salary, that just perpetuates the inequity.”State and federal proposals also call for similar regulations, but Greenlee said past experience shows the Philadelphia government moves faster than its Pennsylvania and U.S. counterparts.