Columbus pushes wage transparency

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Columbus City Council is working to make the hiring process across the city more transparent, and Monday offered a step in that direction. 

New legislation requires employers to include salary ranges on job postings. This legislation will go into effect in 30 days, but enforcement will not start until January 2027.

The city plans to hold workshops to help businesses transition to these new requirements, but if they do not comply, after three warnings, they will be fined up to $1,000.

"We wanted to ensure that as Columbus grows and more businesses come to Columbus or new businesses start, that they're not just doing business in Columbus, but doing the business of Columbus," Columbus City Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla said. 

This legislation was spearheaded by Barroso de Padilla as part of Columbus Forward, a package of legislation from all councilmembers that aims to push the city forward.

"We wanted to ensure that we were adding equity in the system," Barroso de Padilla said. 

Cleveland passed similar legislation in April: all formal job postings must include salary ranges or face fines of up to $5,000 per offense.

Here in Columbus, this is something one central Ohio non-profit that advocates for low-wage and immigrant workers says will have a big impact.

"We are supportive of this amendment because of what it does, which is going to try to prevent systemic discrimination related to the wage gap and health gap for women, especially women of color," Central Ohio Workers Center Director of Programs Claudia Cortez said. 

The goals behind this legislation are pay transparency, closing the wage gap, and making hiring more competitive.

"Transparency, it would help close the wage gaps, build trust and give workers the information they need to advocate for themselves," Cortez said. 

This builds on past legislation that prohibits asking about or using salary history information in the job application or interview process.