Louisiana § RS 23:664 - Prohibited acts

§ RS 23:664. Prohibited acts

A.  No employer may discriminate against an employee on the basis of sex by paying wages to an employee at a rate less than that paid within the same agency to another employee of a different sex for the same or substantially similar work on jobs in which the employee's performance requires equal skill, effort, education, and responsibility and that are performed under similar working conditions including time worked in the position.

B.  Nothing in Subsection A of this Section shall prohibit the payment of different wage rates to employees when such payment is made pursuant to any of the following:

(1)  A seniority system.

(2)  A merit system.

(3)  A system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production.

(4)  A differential based on a bona fide factor other than sex, including but not limited to education, training, or experience, provided that both:

(a)  The employer demonstrates that such factor is related to the job position in question.

(b)  No alternative employment practice would serve the same legitimate business purpose without producing such a differential.

C.  An employer who is paying wages in violation of this Chapter may not, in order to comply with this Chapter, reduce the wages of any other employee.

D.  It shall be unlawful for an employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of, or attempt to exercise, any right provided under this Chapter.  It shall be unlawful for any employer to discriminate, retaliate, or take any adverse employment action, including but not limited to termination or in any other manner discriminate against any employee for inquiring about, disclosing, comparing, or otherwise discussing the employee's wages or the wages of any other employee, or aiding or encouraging any other employee to exercise his or her rights under this Chapter.

E.  It shall be unlawful for an employer subject to this Chapter to discriminate, retaliate, or take any adverse employment action, including but not limited to termination against an employee because, in exercising or attempting to exercise the employee's rights under this Chapter, such employee:

(1)  Has filed any complaint or has instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding to enforce the employee's rights under this Chapter.

(2)  Has provided or will provide any information in connection with any inquiry or proceeding relating to any right afforded to an employee pursuant to this Chapter.

(3)  Has testified or will testify in any inquiry or proceeding relating to any right afforded to an employee pursuant to this Chapter.

Acts 2013, No. 374, §1.