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New Law for 2016: Massachuesetts' Equal Pay Law


A week or so ago, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law a bill that updates Massachusetts' Equal Pay Law.  The bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in the payment of wages for comparable work "unless the variation is based upon a mitigating factor" such as seniority, education, training, experience, etc.  

In addition, the bill will now prohibit businesses from asking a job applicant to disclose their previous salary history.  Although employers will be allowed to inquire about previous salaries after making a job and compensation offer to the potential employee.

This is a bill that will have a major impact on employers across the state.  It will be interesting to see if other states follow suit and pass similar legislation, in particular in regard to barring employers from asking an applicant about their salary history.



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