In the News: Rayner Magnum Published in Corporate Compliance Insights on Pay Transparency

Constangy attorney Rayner Mangum authored an article for Corporate Compliance Insights examining the growing patchwork of state and local pay transparency laws and what employers must do to stay compliant in a rapidly shifting landscape.

Rayner highlights that even without a state-specific law, the National Labor Relations Act already prohibits pay secrecy policies meaning all employers carry baseline federal exposure. The article maps disclosure requirements across more than a dozen states and several localities, noting that laws vary significantly in scope, covering pay ranges, benefits, internal postings and even whether a remote role could be performed in a covered state.

Rayner also emphasizes that posted pay ranges must reflect a genuine minimum and maximum an employer reasonably expects to offer. Using overly wide or lopsided ranges can lead to legal trouble. For example, Colorado has received thousands of complaints and imposed significant fines since 2021, and in Washington, employees have filed class-action lawsuits that resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements. California and Illinois added a pay data reporting layer, requiring employers to submit detailed workforce compensation data with California expanding to 27 state-specific occupational categories beginning in 2027.

Due to the complexity of state and local laws, Rayner provides key insights into building a sustainable compliance framework, including developing a compensation philosophy and job architecture, maintaining and preserving documentations, standardizing posting processes, leveraging technology and managing recruiters.

To read the full article on Corporate Compliance Insights' website, click here.

Rayner advises and defends employers in a broad range of employment law matters, representing clients in single-plaintiff and complex class and collective actions under federal and state laws. She counsels employers on compliance with workplace regulations and defends against claims involving discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour issues, and leave and accommodation disputes. With experience in both administrative proceedings and high-stakes litigation, Rayner provides practical, business-focused guidance at every stage of a matter.