NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The New York City Council revealed that women of color working for the city earn less than their white male colleagues, despite ongoing efforts to reduce pay inequity, according to a new report.
"Every member of our diverse workforce should be compensated fairly for their hard work, regardless of race or gender, " Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement.
Female city workers earn just 83.5 cents for every dollar their male colleagues make, according to the Pay Disparity Report. The gap widens for women of color, with Black and Latina city employees earning only 69 cents and 82 cents for each dollar earned by white men.
New York City Council
Council Member Julie Menin highlighted that the report "reinforces that equal pay for equal work still does not exist in the municipal workforce."
The report, based on the salary levels across all municipal positions as of 2021, found that a key driver of these persistent pay gaps is "occupational segregation" - the concentration of women and people of color in job titles that consistently pay less than those dominated by white and male employees.
The largest racial and ethnic pay disparities were found in the DCAS, NYPD, and FDNY with a difference of $28,065 between ABHLO (African, Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Others) and white employees.
The NYPD and FDNY were found with gaps of $27,766 and $24,539 respectively. Additionally, FDNY and DEP have some of the lowest proportions of ABHLO employees, according to the report.
New York City Council
Following the release of the report, Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, chair of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor said that they now have "a better guide to address racial and gender pay gaps that are still pervasive in our public sector," and "are committed to closing the gap and fostering a more equitable working environment in the city."
In response to the report, the City Council held a meeting on April 25 and introduced legislation aimed at addressing the key factors driving these pay disparities including a bill requiring more reporting on promotional exam eligibility and another calling for additional points on exams for those who have completed management training.
As the first women-majority Council, they have vowed to not rest until women, particularly women of color, are "valued equally for their crucial contributions to our City."
The data, provided by MODA under the Pay Equity Law, includes a point-in-time dataset of 166,968 City of New York employees active or on leave as of Dec. 31, 2021. For their analysis, the law enables MODA to access more extensive city data to identify and address pay disparities.
