Healey Signs Wage Transparency Bill

Employers With +25 Employees Must Now Disclose Pay Ranges In Job Openings

Employers with 25 or more employees will have to post pay ranges alongside job openings, under a new law Gov. Maura Healey signed Wednesday afternoon.

The new law also requires employers with more than 100 employees to file copies of federally-required equal employment data with the state secretary’s office, which would then be forwarded to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

Supporters say the measure would reduce gender and demographic wage gaps. It was backed by the Women’s Legislative Caucus, the business group Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the Mass. AFL-CIO umbrella union, and the Mass. Municipal Association.

The attorney general’s office will conduct a public awareness campaign around the new rules. Their office also has enforcement authority and the ability to impose fines or civil citations for violations of the law, and employees will receive protections against retaliation for asking for salary ranges when applying for a job or promotion, according to the governor’s office.

“Gender and racial wage gaps are real. They cause wealth gaps. With this legislation, Massachusetts claims lead position in building economic prosperity through equitable treatment of every worker,” said Evelyn Murphy, co-chair of the Wage Equity Now Coalition in a statement.