The women's bar association
GOVERNOR BAKER SIGNS COMPREHENSIVE PAY EQUITY BILL
Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts
27 School Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02108
Ph: 617.973.6666 Fax: 617.973.6663 www.womensbar.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kristin Shirahama
President
Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts
Patricia Comfort
Executive Director
Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts
GOVERNOR BAKER SIGNS COMPREHENSIVE PAY EQUITY BILL
WBA plays instrumental role on legislation to close gender wage gap
BOSTON, MA – August 1, 2016 – The Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) today commends the legislature for passing and Governor Charlie Baker for signing into law S 2119 – An Act to Establish Pay Equity.
The comprehensive bill helps address the gender wage gap by clarifying the definition of comparable work, a longtime priority of the WBA. The bill also allows employees to discuss their salaries without the threat of retaliation from their employer and bans the practice of requiring salary history on job applications before a job offer is made. The bill also encourages employers to evaluate their own pay practices and implement changes to end pay disparities voluntarily.
The WBA formed its Pay Equity Task Force in September 2014 to research the gender pay gap and propose legislation to help close the gap. The WBA Task Force, co-chaired by Nina Kimball and Deborah Benson, along with the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Organization of Women (MassNOW) drafted the originally filed bill sponsored by Representatives Jay Livingstone (D-Boston) and Ellen Story (D-Amherst) and Senators Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) and Karen Spilka (D-Ashland).
At the beginning of the 2015-2016 legislation session, the WBA, MassNOW and the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW) founded the Massachusetts Equal Pay Coalition, which consisted of more than 50 organizations that worked over the course of the session alongside legislators, Attorney General Maura Healey and the business community to help advance the bill.
“The WBA applauds both the Governor and legislature for acting on this important legislation. I am especially proud of the work the WBA did in initiating the bill and working tirelessly over the session with fellow advocates to educate legislators and ensure its passage. Massachusetts was the first state to pass an equal pay law over seventy years ago, yet women in the Commonwealth still make only 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man. This legislation takes concrete steps to help close the gender wage gap and will enable women and their families to thrive,” stated WBA President Kristin Shirahama.
The legislation goes into effect on July 1, 2018. The Attorney General is tasked with issuing regulations to implement the law.
About the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts
Founded in 1978 by a group of activist women lawyers, the Women’s Bar Association boasts a large membership of accomplished women lawyers, judges, policy makers, and law students across Massachusetts. The WBA is committed to the full and equal participation of women in the legal profession and in a just society. The WBA works to achieve this mission through committees and taskforces, and by developing and promoting a legislative agenda to address society’s most critical social and legal issues. Other WBA activities include drafting amicus briefs, studying employment issues affecting women, encouraging women to enter the judiciary, recognizing the achievement of women in the law, and providing pro bono services to women in need through its sister organization, the Women’s Bar Foundation. For more information, visit