Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Honorable Josh S. Cutler, House Chair
The Honorable Patricia D. Jehlen, Senate Chair
Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development
State House, Boston
Delivered electronically
Dear Chair Cutler, Chair Jehlen, and Distinguished Members of the Committee,
On behalf of the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Municipal Association appreciates the opportunity to testify in support of several bills before the Committee that would work toward a shared goal of closing gender and racial wage gaps in the Commonwealth. The MMA strongly supports H. 1849, H. 1940, S. 1181, and S. 1191.
H. 1849, An Act relative to salary range transparency, and its companion bill, S. 1191, An Act relative to pay range disclosure, would require employers in the Commonwealth to disclose wage or salary ranges when hiring for a position. Cities and towns have already demonstrated leadership in this work, and disclosing pay ranges is already a common practice in local government job postings. This bill would codify this for all employers in Massachusetts. The legislation would be good for workers, by providing important information to prospective employees, but also good for employers, by helping to better identify the right candidates for the right positions and expedite the hiring process.
H. 1940 and S. 1181, both known as An Act relative to transparency in the workplace, would require all EEOC reports to be collected by the Secretary of the Commonwealth and aggregated by the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. Like many employers, cities and towns in Massachusetts are subject to certain federal reporting requirements. Municipalities with 100 or more employees must file reports with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). These biennial filings (known as EEO-4 reports) submit demographic workforce data, including data by race, ethnicity, sex, job category, and salary band. H. 1940 and S. 1181 would create a process for the Commonwealth to put this data to good use and compare across sectors.
We strongly support these bills and are proud to join a growing coalition of advocates, business leaders, and government officials working to ensure Massachusetts is a national leader in tackling the wage gap. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or MMA Senior Executive and Legislative Director Dave Koffman at dkoffman@mma.org or (617) 426-7272, ext. 122, at any time.
We respectfully ask the Committee for a favorable report and are grateful for your support of the Commonwealth’s 351 cities and towns.
Sincerely,
Geoffrey C. Beckwith
MMA Executive Director & CEO