Equal Pay Poised for Passage in Massachusetts

BOSTON, MA—A bill protecting equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender, is poised to pass in Massachusetts, legislation that's essentially been in the works for two decades.

A joint committee on Thursday agreed upon a version of the bill that passed the House last week. A largely procedural vote in both houses of the state legislature Saturday will almost certainly send it on its way to Gov. Charlie Baker, who has indicated he'll sign.

Assuming he does, here's what the Equal Pay Law will do:

• Force employers to let their employees talk with each other about their salaries
• Prevent employers from asking for a job applicant’s pay history
• Shield companies from lawsuits for three years, if they run self-evaluations and work to correct wage gaps on their own.
• Specify the definition for whether someone is being paid the same amount of money for the same work: considering seniority, work performance, education, training, and other factors

Nationwide, it's estimated that a 21-point difference spans pay between the average man and woman worker. In Massachusetts, that gap is far below the national average already, at 18 percent.

Read more about the state of equal pay in our state here, and see how we compare in the graphic below.