Most employers in Massachusetts are now required to post a job’s salary range under a new law signed by Governor Maura Healey Wednesday, a move advocates praised as a step toward wage equity.
The law applies to public and private employers with more than 25 employees.
These employers are also now required to provide a salary range for an employee who is offered a promotion or transfer, under the new law. Employees are also able to ask the salary range of current employees or people applying for the role, Healey’s office announced.
Appearing on Boston Public Radio Wednesday, Healey said the law is a step toward wage equality for women and people of color. It builds on the pay equity bill signed in 2016, when Healey attorney general, she said.
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“I want to give a shout-out to former Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Murphy for her leadership over decades on this, and it’s a privilege to be able to sign this important bill for women’s equity,” Healey said.
Murphy, who became the first woman in Massachusetts to hold a constitutional office while serving under Governor Michael Dukakis, is now co-chair of the Wage Equity Now Coalition.
“Gender and racial wage gaps are real,” Murphy said in a statement. “They cause wealth gaps. With this legislation, Massachusetts claims (a) lead position in building economic prosperity through equitable treatment of every worker.”
The legislation is called the Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act, named for a Boston-born labor rights activist who served as the first woman U.S. secretary of labor.
Boston.com readers overwhelmingly agreed with the legislation last fall, when 86 percent of readers polled said job postings should include a salary range.
“With the signing of this legislation, Massachusetts is one step closer to ensuring equal pay for equal work,” House Speaker Ronald Mariano said in a statement. “Pay transparency will not only make our workplaces more equitable, it will also make Massachusetts more competitive with other states.”
