(1) An employer shall not discriminate between employees on the basis of sex, or on the basis of sex in combination with another protected status as described in section 24-34-402 (1)(a), by paying an employee of one sex a wage rate less than the rate paid to an employee of a different sex for substantially similar work, regardless of job title, based on a composite of skill; effort, which may include consideration of shift work; and responsibility, except where the employer demonstrates each of the following:
(a) That the wage rate differential is based on:
(I) A seniority system;
(II) A merit system;
(III) A system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production;
(IV) The geographic location where the work is performed;
(V) Education, training, or experience to the extent that they are reasonably related to the work in question; or
(VI) Travel, if the travel is a regular and necessary condition of the work performed;
(b) That each factor relied on in subsection (1)(a) of this section is applied reasonably;
(c) That each factor relied on in subsection (1)(a) of this section accounts for the entire wage rate differential; and
(d) That prior wage rate history was not relied on to justify a disparity in current wage rates.
(2) An employer shall not:
(a) Seek the wage rate history of a prospective employee or rely on the wage rate history of a prospective employee to determine a wage rate;
(b) Discriminate or retaliate against a prospective employee for failing to disclose the prospective employee's wage rate history;
(c) Discharge, or in any manner discriminate or retaliate against, an employee for invoking this section on behalf of anyone or assisting in the enforcement of this subsection (2);
(d) Discharge, discipline, discriminate against, coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with an employee or other person because the employee or person inquired about, disclosed, compared, or otherwise discussed the employee's wage rate;
(e) Prohibit, as a condition of employment, an employee from disclosing the employee's wage rate; or
(f) Require an employee to sign a waiver or other document that:
(I) Prohibits the employee from disclosing wage rate information; or
(II) Purports to deny the employee the right to disclose the employee's wage rate information.
Source: L. 55: p. 503, � 2. CRS 53: � 80-23-2. C.R.S. 1963: � 80-3-2. L. 2019: Entire section amended, (SB 19-085), ch. 247, p. 2413, � 4, effective January 1, 2021.
Cross references: (1) For minimum wages for workers, see article 6 of this title 8.
(2) For the short title (Equal Pay for Equal Work Act) and the legislative declaration in SB 19-085, see sections 1 and 2 of chapter 247, Session Laws of Colorado 2019.