"Star Flutist Sues Boston Symphony Over Pay Equity", 6 July 2018

The top flutist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra has filed a gender pay discrimination suit against the ensemble, claiming that her compensation is only about 75 percent that of her closest comparable colleague...The suit, which was filed on Monday by Elizabeth Rowe,..., appears to be the first under a new law in Massachusetts that requires equal pay for “comparable work.”...[A]ccording to Ms. Rowe’s lawsuit,..., pay disparities can be significant.  Ms. Rowe, 44, is paid about $70,000 less each year than John Ferrillo, 62, the principal oboist, based on data in the lawsuit and tax records.  That is despite the fact that they play next to each other and are both “leaders of the orchestra in similarly demanding artistic roles,” according to the lawsuit...A spokeswoman for the Boston Symphony, Bernadette Horgan, said that the orchestra could not comment on pending litigation but said that it “is committed to a strong policy of equal employment opportunity and to the practice of comparable pay for comparable work, as well as abiding by the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act.”...According to the suit, Ms. Rowe made several previous attempts to have her pay adjusted, beginning in 2015.  The orchestra not only declined to equalize her pay with Mr. Ferrillo’s, the suit claims, but also retaliated against her for trying to discuss the issue publicly...