Rep. Lewis Joins Colleagues in Passing Wage Equity Legislation

Framingham – Tuesday, October 10, 2023 – In an effort to help close the gender and racial wage gap in Massachusetts, the House of Representatives passed the Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act, a bill that requires employers with 25 or more employees to disclose a salary range when posting a position, and that protects an employee’s right to ask for salary ranges in the workplace.

"Nearly a century after Frances Perkins ascended to the position of Secretary of Labor and became the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet, it is appalling but sadly unsurprising that gender and racial wage equity gaps persist in Massachusetts. This bill takes great strides toward ensuring salary transparency in job postings and in the workplace,” said Representative Jack Patrick Lewis (Framingham), co-chair of the 66-member House Progressive Caucus and chair of the House Committee on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight. “I’ve been a proud supporter of similar legislation during my tenure in the House. It is wonderful to see it be enacted. I’d like to thank Speaker Mariano, Chair Cutler, and each of the sponsors on the bill for their leadership in getting this across the finish line."

"With this legislation, Massachusetts will be one step closer to ensuring equal pay for equal work,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (Quincy). “Pay transparency will not only make our workplaces more equitable, it will also make Massachusetts more competitive with other states. I’d like to thank Chairman Cutler, and all my colleagues in the House, for their important work on this legislation.”

“With the passage of this legislation, the House takes bold action to empower workers, reduce persistent gender and racial wage gaps, and help businesses attract and retain talent. Pay transparency is good policy for employees and employers alike,” said Representative Josh S. Cutler (Duxbury), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development and lead sponsor of the bill. “Thank you to all the coalition advocates who have collaborated with us on this bipartisan legislation, including both business and labor groups.”

In Greater Boston, women on average were paid 70 cents for every dollar earned by a man in 2021, according to the Boston Women’s Workforce Council. This gap widens among communities of color, where Black and Latina women have the highest gender and racial wage gaps of 51 and 55 cents, respectively.

“This monumental legislation will ensure that job applicants who have historically earned less are empowered knowing that they have access to salary and hourly wage information prior to applying for a job. Black and Latina women continue to experience the largest wage disparities,” said Representative Brandy Fluker Oakley (Mattapan), lead sponsor of the bill. “This bill achieves the dual objectives of attracting a talented workforce, while also working to actualize the right to gender and racial equity in the Commonwealth. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the advocates that worked tirelessly on this bill, to Speaker Mariano for his leadership, and to my colleagues, as well as our business leaders and community members that contributed their support.”

If the bill passed today is signed into law, Massachusetts would become the eleventh state to mandate pay transparency by requiring employers to disclose salary ranges, according to the National Women’s Law Center. Named after the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labor and Boston native Frances Perkins, the legislation builds on Massachusetts’ Equal Pay Act which was passed by the Legislature in 2016 to bring more fairness and equality to workplaces.

The bill also requires employers with more than 100 employees to share their federal equal employment opportunity reports with the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, which would then be aggregated and published to help identify gender and racial wage gaps by industry.

“As House Vice Chair of the Women’s Caucus, I can attest to the dedication and hard work behind the Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act from leaders throughout Massachusetts,” said Representative Christine Barber (Somerville), a lead sponsor of the bill. “Significant gender and racial wage gaps continue to exist today, and this legislation takes concrete steps to ensure that women get fair wages to create pay equity in the Commonwealth.”

“This bill is a big step forward for equality in the workplace and economic prosperity for all,” said Representative Dave Rogers (Cambridge), a lead sponsor of the bill. “By passing this legislation, the House takes a stand against workplace inequities and, in doing so, makes Massachusetts a more desirable place to live and work. I thank Speaker Mariano, Chair Michlewitz, and Chair Cutler for their extraordinary work in delivering this important breakthrough. I also appreciate the efforts of Representative Barber, who co-filed the wage data reporting bill with me.”

Having passed the Massachusetts House of Representatives 148-8, the bill now moves to the Senate for their consideration.