The part of this that looks more important than forbidding recruiters from asking about previous pay is this:
>"And the law will require equal pay not just for workers whose jobs are alike, but also for those whose work is of “comparable character” or who work in “comparable operations.” Workers with more seniority will still be permitted to earn higher pay, but the law effectively broadens the definition of what is equal work."
I suspect the result will be to flatten wages everywhere except the most easily quantifiable, thus legally defensible, cases. Sales people will still make a commission on what they sell and have a huge gap in their earnings, but it will become much harder to reward rare engineering talents or even people who work on their craft recreationally.
It also means that pay will be determined by judges, not markets, as it is an impossible to define concept. More of the economy will get sucked up into litigation.
Comparable Worth is another incarnation of the Labor Theory of Value, which has long been discredited.
This is a big problem that I hope doesn't swamp the benefits of making salary private. Employers might have to prove in a court of law that I'm worth more than another employee? This could really really suck.
>"And the law will require equal pay not just for workers whose jobs are alike, but also for those whose work is of “comparable character” or who work in “comparable operations.” Workers with more seniority will still be permitted to earn higher pay, but the law effectively broadens the definition of what is equal work."
I suspect the result will be to flatten wages everywhere except the most easily quantifiable, thus legally defensible, cases. Sales people will still make a commission on what they sell and have a huge gap in their earnings, but it will become much harder to reward rare engineering talents or even people who work on their craft recreationally.