On February 1, the New York State Department of Labor (“NYSDOL”) adopted regulations (“Regulations”) clarifying the pay transparency provisions of Section 194(4) of the New York Labor Law. The pay transparency section was added to Section 194 as part of a broader amendment to New York State’s equal pay law in January 2016. This pay transparency section provides that employers may not prohibit employees from “inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing” the wages of that employee or another employee, and explains what any company policy on the topic can and cannot say.
In the Regulations, the NYSDOL clarified that any employer-instituted restrictions on such discussions must (a) be justified without regard to content, (b) be narrowly tailored to serve a significant interest, and (c) leave open ample alternative channels for discussion of the topic. Additionally, the NYSDOL clarified that an employer may prohibit employees from talking about what other employees’ wages are without express permission from that employee, and that such permission can be withdrawn at any time. Further, such permission need not be granted in writing.
Finally, the regulations clarify that, to the extent an employer wishes to implement a policy limiting employees from discussing wage information, such a policy cannot unreasonably or effectively preclude or prevent inquiry, discussion, or disclosure of wages at the worksite and/or during work hours, either directly or in practice. Indeed, such a policy would also likely be deemed to violate the National Labor Relations Act, which prohibits employers from restricting non-managerial and non-supervisory employees’ collective discussions regarding pay and benefits. The policy can, however:
- Provide for additional restrictions on the ability of certain employees (i.e., those who regularly have access to such information in connection with their jobs, such as Human Resources and Payroll employees) to share such information; and
- Establish reasonable workplace and workday limitations on the time, place and manner for such inquiries, as long as those limitations are consistent with standards promulgated with the Commissioner of Labor and other state and federal laws.
Finally, if an employer wishes to avail itself of the ability to use as an affirmative defense against a claim that it violated Section 194 or that the employee who shared or discussed his or her wages violated the company’s policy against same, the employer must demonstrate that employees were given the policy in accordance with the terms of Section 194.
Therefore, companies with policies and/or practices restricting employees’ rights to discuss their wage information that do not reflect the restrictions described above should be reviewed and revised.