In advance of a rapidly approaching July 1, 2018 effective date, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has issued highly anticipated guidance concerning pay equity amendments to the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (“MEPA”).
The guidance is available here.
he guide provides the following overview of MEPA:
In 1945, Massachusetts became the first state in the country to pass an equal pay law. But the gender pay gap persists in Massachusetts and across the country. In Massachusetts, on average, women working full time earn only 84.3% of what men earn. The gap is even larger for some women of color.
On July 1, 2018, an updated equal pay law will go into effect in Massachusetts, providing more clarity as to what constitutes unlawful wage discrimination and adding protections to ensure greater fairness and equity in the workplace. The statute, Chapter 177 of the Acts of 2016, An Act to Establish Pay Equity, amends the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act, M.G.L. c. 149, § 105A (“MEPA”).
MEPA generally provides that “No employer shall discriminate in any way on the basis of gender in the payment of wages, or pay any person in its employ a salary or wage rate less than the rates paid to its employees of a different gender for comparable work.” The law defines “comparable work” as work that requires substantially similar skill, effort, and responsibility, and is performed under similar working conditions.
Beck Reed Riden LLP’s attorneys are ready to assist employers with any questions and concerns they might have concerning this new guidance and how to comply with the MEPA amendments.
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