We have bad news...

Hey there! Hannah here. In case you’re not familiar with the story behind Salary Transparent Street, here’s the rundown:  

In 2021, I found out I was underpaid by over $20,000 as a Senior Data Analyst. After learning my true market rate, I quit that job…and STS was born in April 2022.  

Salary Transparent Street brought in $1 million last year, I was featured as a 2023 Money.com Changemaker, and I made Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2024. We’ve also been featured in The Washington Post, Business Insider, CNBC, and more (pinch me). 

But I’ve never truly gone into what went into accomplishing these goals and the struggles I faced along the way—until now. 

I sat down with Erin McGoff, host of the No One Knows What They’re Doing podcast, and shared everything about my journey in the latest episode. Tune in, or watch to hear the full story. ​​💚

 1   Virginia’s governor vetoes pay transparency bill 👎

File this under: News we hate to see. Last Thursday, Virginia’s governor, Glenn Youngkin, vetoed a pay transparency legislation (SB 370) that I, among others, have been fighting tirelessly for. 

This bill would’ve…

• ➜ Required companies to disclose the pay in internal and external job postings and promotions. 

• ➜ Prevented companies from asking you what your prior compensation was—and using that number to determine what they’d pay you at your new job. 

Relying on an applicant’s prior salary to determine their pay widens the wage gap, especially for women and people of color who often earn lower salaries than their white male counterparts. When companies can ask about prior compensation, they’re forced to carry old pay bias into new jobs. 

Here at STS, we’re working closely with the National Women’s Law Center to navigate the next steps. But rest assured, we’ll never stop fighting for this (and for you). In the meantime, here are two action items for you: 

1. Contact Governor Glenn Youngkin’s office and voice your concerns. 

2. Vote in the upcoming Virginia governor elections (happening next year in 2025). 

 2   America needs plumbers now more than ever 🧑‍🔧

Pray your toilet doesn’t act up anytime soon. Because if it does, there might not be anyone available to fix it. The U.S. is facing a plumber shortage, with Bloomberg predicting we’ll be short of 550,000 plumbers by 2027. 

Bad news for your toilet…and the economy. The plumber shortage drained our economy of $33 billion in 2022. Fewer plumbers means higher costs for families, delayed flood recovery efforts, and obstacles for businesses trying to open new buildings. 

One cause of the deficit? Stigma. “For a long time, our society has not talked favorably about the skilled trades,” said Christine Cruzvergara, Handshake’s Company Chief Executive Strategy Officer. 

• Zoom In: This bias might’ve played a role as to why the application rate for young people seeking technical jobs (i.e. plumbing, building, and electrical work) plummeted 49% in 2022 compared to 2020.  

But plumbing has an overflow of benefits. The mean annual wage for plumbers, pipe-fitters, and steamfitters was $65,190 as of May 2022—and tradespeople start their careers with little to no debt from trade school. 

Interested in pursuing a career in the trades? We’ve got you. Watch our video to learn about the kind of salaries that are possible in this field before using this guide to get started.

 3   Why Lyft and Uber are leaving Minneapolis 🚙

Need a ride in Minneapolis? Godspeed. Uber and Lyft are no longer serving the Twin Cities starting May 1 thanks to a new minimum wage bill, per CNN. 

• The ordinance requires Uber and Lyft to pay drivers $1.40 per mile and $0.51 a minute. For context, a study of 18 million trips found that drivers need to earn $1.21 per mile and 49 cents a minute to meet the hourly minimum wage of $15.57.

• In other words, the bill requires an even higher wage than what would be necessary to meet the minimum wage. And while we’re all for higher wages, Uber and Lyft claim that this would force them to raise prices—making rides unaffordable for the typical customer.

"Uber and Lyft are acting like petulant children,” said Veena Dubal, a labor law professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. “Frankly, if they do leave, high-road alternatives will take their place. It is possible to have both consumer convenience and good wages."

While some drivers hope the rideshare companies are bluffing, council members are celebrating: “Regular working-class people took on two corporate giants and their political allies, and won,” said Robin Wonsley. 

In the fight for higher wages, this is a win…but at what cost? 

Sponsored by Capital One Cafe

It’s Time to Find Out What You’re Worth

Are you fairly compensated?

If you aren’t sure, let’s change that.

I’m hosting a free live webinar this Friday, March 22, where I’ll be giving you the tools and knowledge to learn your market rate, as well as tips and additional resources to help you maximize your earning potential.

Claim your seat here. Can’t wait to see you there!

“Two days ago, I was the only baby nurse on duty and had to catch 10 babies.” 

That’s just a snippet from our latest episode of The Break Room, our new show where careers, money, and conversations intersect. 

In this episode, a panel of nurses share insights about the job, from compensation to work-life balance, to even “catching” newborn babies (exactly what it sounds like). 

They also go into hard-hitting questions such as…

• Is there a stigma against male nurses? 

• How is nurses’ pay structured? 

• What are the biggest misconceptions about nursing? 

Trust us—you won’t want to miss this one! 

• A bill that would mandate a 32-hour workweek instead of the traditional 40 is underway. 

• Did you know? Only 10% of brand sponsorship dollars go to women athletes.

• Meet the Senior UX Designer with five years of experience earning $185K a year. 

• Even The White House has a gender pay gap (.80 cents to every $1 men earn). 

• 70% of jobs filled are never posted online—here’s how to tap into this hidden job market. 

Thanks for being here! One last question for you: Are you a victim of pay discrimination? 

To know the answer, you’ll need to first understand what pay discrimination truly is. It comes in lots of different shapes and sizes—so it’s not always easy to spot. 

That’s why in our latest blog, we dive into Pay Discrimination 101: What it is, the different types, and most importantly, how to fight back. 💪

See you next week!