Today, in recognition of Equal Pay Day in the U.S., Levi Strauss & Co. is proud to have signed the California Equal Pay Pledge to reaffirm our longstanding support for policies to close the gender pay gap and, in turn, protect, retain and advance women and diverse talent throughout the workforce. Created in partnership with the California Partners Project and the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, the pledge was signed by 150 other organizations, including some of California’s largest employers.
By signing the pledge, we’re reinforcing our standing commitment to conduct an annual gender pay analysis and consistently review hiring and promotion processes and procedures at LS&Co. As an organization, we have a responsibility to our people to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers to equality and continue to promote equal pay best practices.
“We have instituted systems and reviews to prevent pay equity gaps for our employees,” said Tracy Layney, LS&Co.’s chief HR officer. “It’s the right thing to do because we want to cultivate a diverse workplace where women can grow and develop their careers and where everyone is valued and heard. That makes us a stronger company over the long term.”
When we offer programs and services that allow our employees to thrive at work and at home, we see the benefits to both our people and our business. Maintaining pay equity is core to these offerings. Our most recent pay equity audit covering our U.S. nonunion population, including corporate and retail employees as well as distribution center management, confirmed no systemic pay differences across gender and ethnicity at LS&Co. Beyond equal pay, we have also seen firsthand how our paid leave programs, comprehensive health care benefits — including reproductive health care — and our mental health and well-being benefits help our employees succeed.
In addition, when we grow a diverse organization and retain women in the workplace, everyone benefits — even the U.S. economy. According to the National Partnership for Women and Families’ Women & the Wage Gap report from this year, women in the U.S. lose a combined total of $1.6 trillion every year as a direct result from the wage gap. Closing this gap would provide the average woman in the workforce with enough money for nearly 13 months of additional child care, seven months of mortgage and utility payments, and nine months of rent.
Our values — originality, integrity, empathy and courage — show up in our workplace every day, and we’re committed to maintaining a transparent culture backed by our support of the best practices that enhance equality.
