Gov. Baker signs law requiring equal pay for comparable work

BOSTON (AP) — Republican Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law Monday a bill requiring men and women be paid equally for comparable work in Massachusetts — including what supporters say is a first-in-the nation provision barring employers from asking prospective workers to provide a salary history.

The bill attempts to define what constitutes comparable work in part by outlining legitimate reasons for differences in pay — including seniority, geographic location, experience, education, training, or a system based on sales.

In particular, supporters hailed the provision in the law preventing employers from asking prospective workers to tell them how much they were getting paid at prior jobs.

The law also lets employees discuss their salaries with other workers without facing retribution from their employer — a measure that could help workers discover pay inequities between men and women.