When it comes to working for New York City it’s not a level playing field. A recent report by the City Council finds that for every dollar earned by white men, all other workers make 82 cents. Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa said it’s not that people are being paid differently for the same job. She explained the problem.
“What we continue to see is this phenomenon called occupational segregation, which basically says that in agencies, in titles that are lesser paid, those positions are mostly held by women and people of color,” she said.
There are bills in the works to help correct this, she said. One would give workers who get additional education extra points on promotional exams to help boost them into better paying jobs.
“If you’re for example a case worker with the HRA (Human Resources Administration) and you go and you get some sort of certification or an advanced degree, you will get additional points to use on your promotional exam to move into a title that is better paid,” she said.
"We’re also working on eliminating barriers like certain fees for taking exams, because if you’re already making such a little bit of money, choosing between taking a promotional exam or paying your phone bill is a big decision, right?” she said.
The HRA, she said, is one of the worst offenders in terms of this occupational segregation, along with the Department of Education, the Department of Probation, the Department of Social Services and the Department of Homeless Services.