The Massachusetts House handed laws Wednesday that will require companies with a minimum of 25 workers to listing a wage or wage vary on a job posting, teeing it up for potential motion within the Senate earlier than formal periods finish for the yr in mid-November.
Lawmakers need Massachusetts to fall according to 10 different states that have already got some type of pay disclosure legislation on the books, together with Rhode Island, New York, and Connecticut. The proposal, legislators mentioned throughout remarks on the House ground, would primarily assist ladies and folks of shade.
Rep. Josh Cutler, one of many lead co-sponsors of the invoice, mentioned the proposal will assist “persistent gender and racial wage gaps” in Massachusetts.
“In some industries, companies may worry about being at a competitive disadvantage if they share employee pay ranges. But having a statewide law eliminates this problem by putting everyone on an equal footing and nothing in the bill ties the hands of employers or creates any new costs,” mentioned Cutler, the co-chair of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee.
Business teams have lined up behind the proposal, which might additionally require employers with a minimum of 100 staff to submit demographic and wage reviews they already file with the federal authorities to state officers. Those paperwork can be used to supply annual mixture reviews.
In a press release forward of the House vote, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce President James Rooney mentioned the group is a “longtime champion of wage equity.”
“We were glad to partner with the House to ensure this legislation is feasible for employers to implement while also benefiting the commonwealth’s employees and workplaces,” Rooney mentioned in a press release. “We appreciate the improvements to the bill throughout the committee process and look forward to working with the Senate on this important issue.”
Previous variations of the invoice known as for a 15-employer threshold for pay disclosure and for the federal demographic and wage types to be made public as soon as they have been submitted to the state, a transfer that companies pushed again on.
The lead senator backing the invoice advised the Herald Tuesday that the department is prone to take up the invoice “very soon.” The Senate is scheduled to carry a proper session Thursday however the invoice is unlikely to return up as senators deal with state funds overrides.
“It is under active review and the Senate will go through the legislative process,” a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka mentioned.
