Page 4 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 9, 2024 Representative Wong supports passage of salary transparency legislation Bill requires most employers to disclose pay ranges on job postings S tate Representative Donald Wong (R-Saugus) recently backed legislation requiring most private and public employers, including government entities, to disclose the salary range for job postings in an effort to help close the gender and racial wage gap. House Bill 4890, An Act relative to salary range transparency, was enacted by the House and Senate on July 24, 2024, and on July 31, Governor Maura Healey signed it. It is now Chapter 141 of the Acts of 2024. The final bill represents a compromise reached by a six-member conference committee whose members worked to reconcile the differences between two earlier versions of the bill that passed the House and Senate last fall. Representative Wong said the new law requires companies with 25 or more emGerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 J& • Reliable Mowing Service • Spring & Fall Cleanups • Mulch & Edging • Sod or Seed Lawns • Shrub Planting & Trimming • Water & Sewer Repairs Joe Pierotti, Jr. ployees to disclose pay ranges for jobs to new applicants, as well as for existing employees who are up for a promotion or a job transfer. Employers must also provide the salary range information if an employee requests it. In addition, the law requires companies with 100 or more employees that are subject to the federal filing requirements of a wage data report to now submit copies of this data to the Secretary of State’s office so it can be forwarded to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD). EOLWD will use this information to publish aggregated data to help the state track gender and racial disparities within various business sectors. Representative Wong noted that several other states have already passed similar pay disclosure laws, including California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. According to Representative Wong, the Attorney General will oversee the enforcement of penalties against any business that fails to comply with the salary range disclosure requirement and will also be required to conduct a public awareness campaign to educate businesses about the new requirements. The new law provides for a written warning for a first offense, a fine of up to $500 for a second offense and a fine not to exceed $1,000 for a third offense. Subsequent offenses will be subject to expanded civil penalties of up to $25,000 for each violation. Salary transparency has been a legislative priority of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators (MCWL), which says the law will help to elevate economic opportunity and eliminate barriers for women in the workforce. The MCWL is co-chaired by Senator Joan Lovely (D-Salem) and Representative Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury), who also served on the conference committee. Representative Wong said the new law will help to correct a shortcoming in the state’s 2016 pay equity law, which requires men and women to receive equal pay for comparable work. Although the 2016 law prohibits employers from inquiring about a job applicant’s salary history, it does not prevent S LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. Masonry - Asphalt • Brick or Block Steps • Brick or Block Walls • Concrete or Brick Paver Patios & Walkways • Brick Re-Pointing • Asphalt Paving www.JandSlandscape-masonry.com • Senior Discount • Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured 617-389-1490 Designing and Constructing Ideas that are “Grounds for Success” Landscaping Donald Wong State Representative companies from asking about a prospective hire’s salary expectations without having to disclose how much the position actually pays. The new law also updates the state’s pension anti-spiking law to prevent wage adjustments from triggering the anti-spiking provision. Representative Wong said the new language ensures that the pension anti-spiking law is not triggered from a bona fide increase in salary related to the pay equity law or from an employer’s systemic or scheduled wage adjustments. The bill also clarifies that a person’s post-retirement earnings capacity PATROLLING| FROM PAGE 2 gus Advocate. “With that said, I checked with the Town clerk today (Wednesday, Aug. 7), and Article 27 has not come back from the Attorney General’s office which means it has not made it into our Town bylaws yet,” Panetta said. “I can tell you that the Chief was very supportive of the article and stated that the bylaw would give our bicycle patrol officers that authority that they need to keep the rail trail safe and orderly. I know there are more police patrols on the rail trail / bike path, and I sincerely appreciate everything they are doing to keep our community safe. I am very thankful to Town Meeting for their unanimous support and Chief Ricciardelli for helping me with this important bylaw change.” shall be determined based on their highest salary, either for the position they retired from or upon which their pension allowance was based. The salary transparency bill drew support from a wide range of business and advocacy organizations: the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Wage Equity Now, the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Amplify Latinx, various state and national women’s groups, the AFL-CIO, the Boston Teachers Union, and many other social justice-oriented organizations. “As a Saugus resident and someone who uses the rail trail on a regular basis, I can tell you that the use of motorized/electrical bicycles and scooters on the rail trail has become problematic,” Ricciardelli wrote in a letter to selectmen in early May supporting Panetta’s rail trail bylaw. Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Jeff Cicolini, another selectman who was vocal on the problems created by unruly kids, said he is impressed with the way police have responded to a new set of problems related to the rail trail. “I think our Police Department is doing a great job at proactively dealing with situations on the trail,” Cicolini told The Saugus Advocate this week. “I know the chief and the deputy chief have assigned PATROLLING | SEE PAGE 8
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