For Immediate Release
October 20, 2023
Contact Person: Celia Johnston Blue- 508-873-9252

Senate Passes the Wage Equity Bill

Worcester – The Senate this week passed the Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Bill, which calls for employers to disclose salary ranges to onboarding employees who ask for them and for companies and municipalities to submit Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) data to the Secretary of State.

“Pay equity is an important economic issue that the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition (MAWOCC) is focused on, and we firmly believe this bill will help to address wage disparity which has disproportionately impacted women of color for far too long,” said MAWOCC president and CEO Celia Johnston-Blue. “We are hopeful that Governor Maura Healey will sign this bill into law because it will also lay the groundwork for a compilation of data that can be used to measure progress.”

Senate President Karen Spilka, Senator Patricia D. Jehlen and Senator Paul Feeney brought the bill to the Senate floor on Thursday, October 19. Blue said its passage reflects “a genuine” collaboration between the Wage Equity Now (WEN) Coalition and the business community. “We thank Senate President Spika and Senators Jehlen and Feeney for their leadership on this issue and their commitment to wage equality,” she said, adding that MAWOCC is a steering committee member of WEN, which is comprised of nearly 100 Massachusetts organizations. For more information about the Wage Equity Now Coalition, please visit: www.wageequitynow.com.

About MAWOCC- The Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition is dedicated to eradicating the racial inequities among women of color created by structural, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized racism. We address racial inequities through authentic inclusion in the areas of political & civic leadership, education justice, economic power and sustainability, criminal justice, and health and wellness.