L.A. Officials, Union Agree on Comparable Worth Pay

In a major concession to the idea of “comparable worth,” Los Angeles city officials Wednesday agreed to raise the salaries of 3,900 women holding traditionally low-paying city jobs to bring their wages into line with pay of men in jobs on the same level.

Although the settlement must still be approved by the City Council, officials expressed confidence that it will be endorsed Friday.

“This is the first major city that has used comparable worth as a basis for setting wages,” said Cheryl Parisi, spokeswoman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which negotiated the settlement with the city.

She said other cities, like New York, have agreed to increase the salaries of librarians and those in other job categories traditionally dominated by women. But “this is the first time we’ve talked about comparability, saying, ‘See what truck drivers make and pay clericals the same,’ “she said.

The agreement will cost the city $12 million in special salary increases for those in jobs dominated by women. The increases, averaging 5% a year, are due to start in the next few weeks and be retroactive to April 1. Increases would be phased in over three years.

The pay hikes would bring the salaries of secretaries, clerks and librarians--at least 70% of whom are women--close to wages paid for male-dominated jobs that require similar skill levels. Among the male-dominated classifications deemed comparable are gardeners, garage attendants, drivers and maintenance personnel.

For example, a clerk typist currently earns a monthly wage of $1,199 to $1,411, while a warehouse worker earns $1,343 to $1,669. By July, 1987, when the final year of the agreement begins, a clerk typist will have reached a range of $1,316 to $1,635. And the average wage paid to a clerk typist--$1,492--will be equal to the average wage paid to a warehouse worker.

A 1982 study by the employees union indicated that there is sex segregation in the city’s work force, with 82% of all women earning less than $25,000 and 65% of all men earning more than $25,000.

Bradley Hails Agreement

Mayor Tom Bradley, flanked by several Los Angeles City Council members and union officials at a City Hall press conference, hailed the agreement between the city and the employees union as a “landmark breakthrough” in reaching pay equity for women.

Bradley said the city managed to settle the issue “without the pressure of court mandates, or without strikes or sit-ins” that have hit other states and cities.

But the employees union did file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1981, alleging wage discrimination against female employees in the city’s salary structure. With the settlement announcement Wednesday, the union agreed to drop its complaint, which was never adjudicated, although the agreement does not preclude individuals from taking wage discrimination action against the city.

Although city officials insisted that the only issues in the negotiations were “fairness and equity,” officials had expressed concern that without a negotiated settlement the city might have been hit with a court order arising from the complaint, requiring it to provide years of retroactive pay.

Alarmed by Ruling

Councilwoman Joy Picus, one of the major proponents of the comparable worth concept, said during council discussions last year that she was alarmed by the outcome of a case in Washington state in which a federal judge ordered the state to make retroactive salary adjustments. That ruling, which is on appeal, could cost Washington more than $500 million.

City Administrative Officer Keith Comrie said after the press conference that if the employees union had pressed its case in court and won, “there would have been retroactive pay due,” potentially forcing the city to pay back wages from as long ago as 1978.

The cost of the settlement, to be paid from the city’s general fund, represents one-half of 1% of the city’s proposed $2.1-billion budget and is preferable to “a long fight in the courts,” Comrie said.

In arriving at the settlement, Comrie said the city basically compared entry-level jobs and found that ones occupied by women and those occupied by men were separated by a 15% wage gap. An additional group of a few hundred employees, including executive secretaries and principal clerks, are likely to receive similar pay equity raises in the next few months, he said. The salary increases spurred by the settlement will not affect usual cost-of-living increases.

County Faces Allegation

Los Angeles County is also faced with an allegation that it pays men more than women for comparable jobs.

The Service Employees International Union, which represents county workers, recently filed federal fair employment charges against the county, alleging sex and race discrimination.

The Legislature in last year’s budget approved a $76.6-million comparable worth program, but it was vetoed by Gov. George Deukmejian, who said such raises should be negotiated gradually through the collective bargaining process.

EQUALIZING PAY Los Angeles officials and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have agreed to raise the salaries of workers in female-dominated job categories to levels of workers in male-dominated occupations deemed to be of comparable worth. There is currently a 15% difference in pay between men and women in those classifications. CURRENT PAY (Monthly Figures) Female-Dominated Jobs Average Pay: $1,310/mo. Clerk Steno $1,291-1,519 Clerk Typist 1,199-1,411 Clerk 1,088-1,352 Male-Dominated Jobs Average Pay: $1,492/mo. Gardener Caretaker $1,382-1,716 Warehouse Worker 1,343-1,669 Garage Attendant 1,342-1,667 Maintenance Laborer 1,312-1,629 Delivery Driver 1,275-1,585 ADJUSTED PAY--1985 Dollars (Over Three Years) Female-Dominated Jobs Average Pay: $1,492/mo. Clerk Steno $1,417-1,760 Clerk Typist 1,316-1,635 Clerk 1,260-1,566 Male-Dominated Jobs Average Pay: $1,492/mo. Gardener Caretaker $1,382-1,716 Warehouse Worker 1,343-1,669 Garage Attendant 1,342-1,667 Maintenance Laborer 1,312-1,629 Delivery Driver 1,275-1,585