Laws Address Pay Disparities – NBC New York (47)

NEW YORK — New York City has eight new laws, signed Tuesday by Mayor Eric Adams, that seek to address pay disparities within the City’s municipal workforce and support New Yorkers living with disabilities who reside in shelters or in affordable housing units.

“Our city workers keep New York City moving, working around the clock across all five boroughs to make sure New Yorkers get the services they need. The first package of bills will help address wage disparities within our city’s workforce, so all workers are paid fairly,” said Mayor Adams. “This second package will reinforce our efforts to support New Yorkers with disabilities. Our city must be accessible to all, and these bills will make our buildings, shelters, and affordable housing spaces more accessible, welcoming, and livable for all.”

Here we explain the laws:

• Intro 515-A: Requires city agencies’ annual employment plans to include compensation information and efforts to address pay disparities within their workforce.
• Intro 527-A: Requires DCAS to evaluate its efforts to provide equal opportunity to a diverse universe of applicants for municipal employment.
• Intro 541-A: Amends the existing Pay Equity Act by requiring DCAS to collect and share additional data with the City Council in an effort to identify and address pay disparities within the city’s workforce.
• Intro 92-A: Creates an accessibility board to advise and make recommendations to the mayor, city council, and city agencies on ways to increase accessibility for clients living in city shelters.
• Intro 141-A: Requires signage at each entrance or exit of a building that requires energy-efficient, electrically-operated or electrically-assisted doors directing people to that door.
• Intro 375-A: Requires HPD to report every three years on how many of its affordable housing units are set aside for people living with disabilities and are rented to people with disabilities.
• Intro 676-A: Requires HPD to develop a list of universal design features and requires developers receiving financial assistance from the city to incorporate universal design into all housing units in new housing development projects.
• Intro 421-A: Requires the New York City Department of Homeless Services to produce a quarterly report on families with children living in shelters and include the number of families in each type of shelter, their average length of stay, how many leave for permanent housing and metrics on enrollment and school attendance.