Title
Resolution authorizing the Mayor and Director of Department of Personnel and Civil Service Commission, on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh, to issue a Request for Proposals for the purpose of conducting a Gender Race Wage Disparity Study of the city's workforce.
Body
Whereas, the Congress of the United States of America enacted The Equal Pay Act of 1963, Pub. L. No. 88-38, 77 Stat. 56, (June 10, 1963) codified at 29 U.S.C. § 206(d), a United States federal law amending the Fair Labor Standards Act, aimed at abolishing wage differentials based on sex. In passing the bill, Congress denounces sex discrimination for the following reasons:
• it depresses wages and living standards for employees necessary for their health and efficiency;
• it prevents the maximum utilization of the available labor resources
• it tends to cause labor disputes, thereby burdening, affecting, and obstructing commerce;
• it burdens commerce and the free flow of goods in commerce; and
• it constitutes an unfair method of competition; and,
Whereas, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 provides (in part) that: No employer having employees subject to any provisions of this section [section 206 of title 29 of the United States Code] shall discriminate, within any establishment in which such employees are employed, between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees in such establishment at a rate less than the rate at which he pays wages to employees of the opposite sex in such establishment for equal work on jobs[,] the performance of which requires equal skill , effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions, except where such payment is made pursuant to (i) a seniority system; (ii) a merit system ; (iii) a system which measures earnings by quantity or quality of production; or (iv) a differential based on any other factor other than sex
Whereas, the Council of the City of Pittsburgh, as policy makers, cannot be indifferent to this matter as it pertains to the work force of the City of Pittsburgh and, moreover, wants to insure that the City is in full compliance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States in this and all regards; and,
Whereas, the Council of the City of Pittsburgh is mindful of its obligations and affirms that it is in full support of gender equity in the workplace and desires to insure that the City does not deliberately or inadvertantly discriminate with regard to gender pay equity in the workpace.
Be It Resolved That the Council of the City Of Pittsburgh hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Intent of Council
The Council, in the authorization of the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a gender race based wage equity study does so to insure that the City is in compliance with all related gender race equity laws of the Commonwealth and the United States of America.
Moreover, due to significant changes in duties and responsibilities of city jobs, there is a need for review and evaluation of the current job analysis, classification and evaluation system. This study is to include a focus on the general soundness of the current system and whether the system affords internal fairness and equity, without gender race or other bias.
Section 2. Issuance of a Request for Proposals for a Gender Race Pay Equity Study
The Mayor and the Director of Personnel are hereby authorized to cause the City of Pittsburgh to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a comprehensive study of positions within Pittsburgh city government.
Section 3. Process for Evaluation of Proposals
The form of the RFP is provided as an addendum to this authorizing legislation and shall be the basis for any RFP solicited by the government of the City of Pittsburgh.
A Citizen Review Committee shall be comprised of five (5) persons with specific skill sets related to gender race pay equity and shall be formed to assist the Director of Personnel to conduct a review of all proposals received and assist in making the recommendations related to the ultimate scope of the study.
The Council of the City of Pittsburgh shall confirm all appointments to the Citizen Review Committee.
The Director of Personnel and the Committee shall make their recommendation(s) to both the Mayor and the Council as to which proposal is to be accepted. The Council, as is the case with all professional services contracts the city enters into, shall approve the contract with the ultimate provider of the study.
Section 4. Timeline for Actions
This resolution is effective upon the Mayor's signature or, in the alternative, eleven days after the resolutions passage in Council.
The RFP shall be issued within fifteen (15) fifteen days of the effective date of this resolution.