New Channels News In Brief…
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker earlier this week signed a bipartisan pay equity bill, passed unanimously by both legislative branches, to ensure equal pay for comparable work for all Massachusetts workers. The law will go into effect on July 1, 2018, for Commonwealth employers and employees. The law will prevent pay discrimination for comparable work based on gender. The bill allows employees to freely discuss their salaries with co-workers, prohibits employers from requiring applicants to provide their salary history before receiving a formal job offer and authorizes the Attorney General to issue regulations interpreting and applying the expanded law. According to the governor’s office, employers are permitted to take certain attributes of an employee or applicant into account when determining variation in pay, including their work experience, education and job training, or measurements of production, sales or revenue. Massachusetts is the first state to adopt this provision…
Nine additional companies have confirmed their engagement in the Vision 2027 attraction in the exhibit hall at the 2016 National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Total Store Expo set for Aug. 6-9 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Vision 2027 will provide insights into the future of retailing and trading-partner collaboration, with a blend of technology, interactivity and even celebrity. The total number of companies participating in Vision 2027 currently stands at 13, with additional announcements anticipated. “Vision 2027 will be a must-see destination for retailers and suppliers in the NACDS Total Store Expo Exhibit Hall,” said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson. “The NACDS Total Store Expo presents a remarkable transaction of ideas, and Vision 2027 will be a tremendous part of that forward thinking at this year’s event.” …
According to the Specialty Foods Association, Whole Foods Market filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the slogan, “World’s Healthiest Grocery Store,” but it recently was rejected because the agency said it made a “laudatory” claim that can’t be proven or has yet to be proven true. Whole Foods has the option to update and refile the claim in six months.
