(a) The Legislature, having recognized December 1980 statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, finds: that 60 percent of all women 18 to 64 are in the workforce, that two-thirds of all those women are either the head of a household or had husbands whose earnings were less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), and that most women are in the workforce because of economic need; that the average working woman has earned less than the average working man, not only because of the lack of educational and employment opportunities in the past, but because of segregation into historically undervalued occupations where wages have been depressed; and that a failure to reassess the basis on which salaries in state service are established will perpetuate these pay inequities, which have a particularly discriminatory impact on minority and older women; and, therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this statute to establish a state policy of setting salaries on the basis of comparability of the value of the work for jobs that employ a higher proportion of females than males.

(b) The department shall review and analyze existing information, including studies from other jurisdictions that are relevant to setting salaries for jobs that employ a higher proportion of females than males. This information shall be provided on an annual basis to the appropriate policy committee of the Legislature and to the parties meeting and conferring pursuant to Section 3517.

(c) For the purpose of implementing this section, the following definitions apply:

(1) “Salary” means, except as otherwise provided in Section 18539.5, the amount of money or credit received as compensation for service rendered, exclusive of mileage, traveling allowances, and other sums received for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of the state’s business, but including the reasonable value of board, rent, housing, lodging, or similar advantages received from the state.

(2) “Comparability of the value of the work” means the value of the work performed by an employee, or group of employees within a class or salary range, in relation to the value of the work of another employee, or group of employees, to any class or salary range within state service.

(3) “Skill” means the skill required in the performance of the work, including any type of intellectual or physical skill acquired by the employee through experience, training, education, or natural ability.

(4) “Effort” means the effort required in the performance of the work, including any intellectual or physical effort.

(5) “Responsibility” means the responsibility required in the performance of the work, including the extent to which the employer relies on the employee to perform the work, the importance of the duties, and the accountability of the employee for the work of others and for resources.

(6) “Working conditions” means the conditions under which the work of an employee is performed, including physical or psychological factors.

(d) If the provisions of this section are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Section 3517.5, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if the provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 53, Sec. 31. (SB 866) Effective June 27, 2018.)