Atlanta mayor bans salary history questions on city job application

Prospective hires to the city of Atlanta will no longer have to answer questions about the history of their salaries on their job applications.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms banned the questions Monday in an effort to prevent wage discrimination and close the gender pay gap, according to a city news release.

“Too often, salary history can trap employees in an unfair earnings cycle based on history rather than their skill set,” Bottoms said in a statement. “Now, employees can be compensated based on their qualifications, experience and merit.”

According to the Pew Research Center, women earn 83 cents for every dollar their men earn. The wage gape widens for women of color. Black women earn 64 cents and Latinas 58 cents for every dollar their white male counterparts earn.

The salary ban comes five years after the city of Atlanta passed "ban the box" legislation, which no longer required people with criminal convictions to disclose that information on job applications.

Like Intown Atlanta News Now on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter

In other news:

Atlanta joined cities across the country hosting the protests, many of them calling the president's national emergency declaration a fake crisis.

About the Author

Fire gutted a DeKalb art studio. Creatives are now picking up the pieces.

A Wednesday blaze at South River Art Studios ravaged one of three warehouses on the property where about 35 artists create and store all their supplies.

$980M Mega Millions winning ticket sold in Newnan

The player matched all six numbers during a Friday evening drawing and won a jackpot worth an estimated $980 million. It has an estimated cash value of $452.2 million.

Churches, King Center hold food drives as SNAP delays linger

As the nation begins to recover from the government shutdown, leaders and advocates in Georgia are trying to fill the gaps left by the pause in federal services.

The Latest

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Gridlock Guy: ATL DOT asks to please pardon its progress

2h ago

Fire gutted a DeKalb art studio. Creatives are now picking up the pieces.

Churches, King Center hold food drives as SNAP delays linger

Featured

Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Prosecutor takes helm of Georgia case against Trump. But will he move forward?

A veteran Georgia prosecutor will decide the fate of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference case against Donald Trump and his allies.

With some solar power tax breaks expiring, Georgians rush to catch the sun

Georgia solar installers say they’re seeing a surge of customers trying to install rooftop solar systems before federal tax credits go away at the end of the year.

‘Automatic for the People’: Weaver D’s still bonds Athens as era nears end

After feeding everyone from R.E.M. to Brian Kemp, and coining a phrase that went global, Dexter Weaver is preparing to close his storied Athens soul food restaurant.