In a historic step toward equal pay, employers in Massachusetts can no longer ask potential employees about their salary history during a job interview. Massachusetts is the first state to enact such a law, which goes into effect July 1, 2018.
The new law, which Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signed on Monday, also forbids employers from penalizing employees who openly discuss their salaries with one another. By punishing workers who talk about their wages, women are less likely to find out if they are in fact being underpaid.
In addition, employers must now pay men and women equally if they do “comparable work,” rather than doing the exact same jobs, which was the previous practice. The law defines this as “work that is substantially similar in that it requires substantially similar skill, effort and responsibility and is performed under similar working conditions; provided, however, that a job title or job description alone shall not determine comparability.”
