Gov. Baker to Sign Pay Equity Legislation Monday

BOSTON, MA – Gov. Charlie Baker will join legislative leaders Monday on the State House's Grand Staircase to sign into law a bill to ensure equal pay for comparable work regardless, of gender, in Massachusetts.

A joint committee last week agreed on a final version of the bill, and both houses of the Legislature approved it over the weekend.

Once signed, the law will do the following:

• 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.

>> Photo by Alison Bauter, Patch staff