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The following was submitted by the office of Sen. Pat Jehlen:
Gov. Maura Healey in early August signed into law an act relative to salary range transparency, which increases equity and transparency in pay by requiring employers to disclose salary ranges and protecting an employee’s right to ask for salary ranges.
“The 2016 Equal Pay Act was a huge step forward in closing pay gaps and it worked. Recent studies show significant increases in pay for women and people of color as a result of the act, which helped reduce pay gaps,” said Sen. Patricia Jehlen, who represents Winchester. “This bill takes the next steps: job seekers, especially women and people of color, will enter wage negotiations with more information to secure better offers. With the data collected we’ll learn about inequities that persist and be able to identify ways to solve them.”
“The Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act continues Massachusetts’ commitment to closing wage gaps for women and people of color,” said Sen. Jason Lewis. “Transparency around salary ranges lowers pay disparities and evens the playing field.”
Known as the “Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act,” after the first woman to serve as U.S. Labor Secretary, this legislation builds on the state’s landmark Equal Pay Act, also originally sponsored by Jehlen.
The legislation requires public and private employers with 25 or more employees to disclose pay ranges in job postings, provide the pay range of a position to an employee who is offered a promotion or transfer and, on request, provide the pay range to employees who already hold that position or are applying for it.
