Saying this would add another layer of burden for businesses to go through when trying to hire new employees, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry is opposing a bill in the Missouri Senate that would require employers to provide wage ranges for all job postings.
During a recent hearing on the bill in the Senate Economic Development and Tax Policy, the sponsor of SB 64, Sen. Steven Roberts (D-St. Louis), told committee members that under this act no employer could refuse to provide a wage range to a prospective employee.
“Seven states, as well as major cities, have wage transparency laws, including California, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, as well as New York City and Cincinnati,” Roberts told the committee.
Missouri Chamber Vice President of Governmental Affairs Kara Corches told committee members the Missouri Chamber opposes this bill because it would be a new mandate on businesses.
“We believe that employers should have flexibility to set pay based on the prospective employees’ credentials, as well as their current financial situation, and we think this bill would tie the hands of business owners further,” Corches said. “When you have employers that are doing job postings in multiple states, this just creates a patchwork of laws that they would have to try and navigate through. If employers want to provide salary ranges, we think they should have the flexibility to do that, but not have it be mandated.”
For more information, contact Corches at kcorches@mochamber.com or call (573) 634-3511.
