Two days after Equal Pay Day, the BWWC convened with 100% Talent Compact members to discuss the amended Mass Equal Pay Act on Thursday, April 4th at State Street Corporation. The morning featured a lively discussion surrounding the creation process of the updated legislation, the Safe Harbor provisions for employers, and experiences from 100% Talent Compact members.

CREATING A SEAT AT THE TABLE FOR BUSINESSES   

BWWC Co-Chair and former Lieutenant Governor, Evelyn Murphy, sat down with Genevieve Nadeau who was instrumental in crafting and implementing MEPA during her time as Chief in the Civil Rights Division in the Mass Attorney General’s Office. The discussion ended with time for 100% Talent Compact Members to ask questions.

Without the partnership of the business community [the Equal Pay Act] wouldn’t have passed...we wanted to give the community a seat at the table.

— Genevieve Nadeau

MAYOR’S OFFICE OF WOMEN’S ADVANCEMENT

Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement, Tania Del Rio, gave announcements from the Mayor’s office:

• Salary Negotiation Workshops are now available online: In partnership between Mayor Martin J. Walsh via the Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement and the American Association of University Women (AAUW), they've expanded their FREE salary negotiation workshop program online. The purpose of this program is to close the gender pay gaps by empowering women to advocate for themselves in the job market. Learn more at aauw.us/boston

• An Opportunity to Achieve Equal Pay: The bill, An Act Promoting Pay Transparency and Pipeline Advancement, would require all companies with more than 100 employees to report the gender and race of employees holding specific management titles, and require the Office of Labor and Workforce Development to post anonymized data. Learn more by visiting bit.ly/2019-Legislation

EMPLOYERS ADJUSTING TO CHANGING LEGISLATION

Following a discussion on the development and implementation of a new legislation, Jane Edmonds, BWWC Council Member, moderated a panel discussion with leaders from 100% Talent Compact members on adjusting to the new MEPA from the employer’s perspective.

The panelists featured:

• Robin Antonellis, VP of Human Resources, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

• Kate Bueker, Chief Financial Officer, HubSpot

• Mary Connolly, Vice President & Manager of Employee Relations & HR Services, Liberty Mutual Insurance Groups

• JD Chesloff, Executive Director, Mass Business Roundtable

The workforce is changing so the workplace needs to change along with it.

— JD Chesloff, Executive Director, Mass Business Roundtable

FIRST ANNUAL INNOVATIONS RECOGNITION PROCESS

Paul Francisco, State Street’s Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Workforce Development Programs, announced the launch of the ‘Recognition of Initiatives Driving Effective Practices’ application.

In partnership with Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Business community, the BWWC will annually recognize companies that demonstrate outstanding contributions and achievements for effective practices and effective initiatives to either closing the gender pay gap and/or creating new opportunities for women within the company. Winners selected will be recognized at the Q3 Member Briefing, Innovators’ Breakfast on June 13th.

For more information, click here.

A COMMUNITY EFFORT

This event would not have been possible without the support of State Street and their Professional Women’s Network (PWN). We thank State Street for graciously hosting the event and the PWN team for playing an instrumental role in developing our new Innovations Driving Effective Practices process. While solving the gender wage gap is a challenging task, it requires the participation and transparency of all.

You can learn more about the 100% Talent Compact by clicking here or by emailing us at team@bostonwomenworkforcecouncil.org.