New Equal Pay Act Notice Will Soon Be Required in Massachusetts Workplaces

On July 1, 2018, an updated Massachusetts Equal Pay Act will go into effect. The new law has a posting requirement, but as of this writing, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination has not yet released a workplace notice.

What’s Changing in the Equal Pay Law?

The updated law provides greater clarity about unlawful wage discrimination and further protections for employees related to workplace fairness and equity.

Under the updated Equal Pay Act, employers may not:

• Pay employees of a different gender unequal wages for comparable work (with some exceptions)
• Prohibit employees from disclosing or discussing their wages
• Ask job applicants about their salary/wage history prior to making an offer of employment that includes compensation
• Retaliate against employees who exercise their rights under the Act

Exceptions to equal pay for comparable work are permitted if they are based on a merit system; the geographic location where a job is performed; an employee’s education, training, or experience related to the job in question; and other factors.

Employees who believe their rights have been violated under the Equal Pay Act must take legal action within three years of the date the alleged violation occurred.

For more information on this new law, here is a link to an overview provided by the state:  https://www.mass.gov/service-details/overview-of-the-massachusetts-equal-pay-law

Compliance Made Easy

As soon as the notice for the Equal Pay Act is available, our customers in Massachusetts will be the first to know.

In the meantime, if you order our 1-Year Compliance Plan, you will automatically receive the updated Massachusetts poster as soon as it becomes available. And because we provide free poster updates for mandatory changes, no matter how many occur during the year, you can always count on Poster Compliance Center to keep you in compliance.