Boston activists push for new equal pay law

BOSTON – More than 70 years after Massachusetts made it illegal to pay men and women different rates for the same job, a group of female activists and community leaders gathered Tuesday at Simmons College to call for passage of a gender equity bill that would require employers to pay men and women equally for jobs that are not the same in all respects.  

The event, a celebration of International Women's Day, marked the start of a day of lobbying on Beacon Hill to push for legislation that passed the State Senate in January (SB 2107). The measure would require employers to pay male and female employees the same amount for jobs that are "substantially similar" and ban employers from punishing workers for disclosing their wages to colleagues.  It would also prohibit employers from subtracting time spent on maternity leave from wage calculations based on seniority and would set fines for violators at $1,000, up from $100.