Back in 2018, as supporters of a $15-an-hour state minimum wage prepared to place the measure before voters as a ballot question, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill known as the “Grand Bargain” into law. It raised the non-tipped minimum wage from $11 to $15 over five years and created a paid family and sick leave program, while also establishing a permanent sales tax holiday and phasing out so-called premium pay for Sundays and legal holidays.
Now, the same advocates who spearheaded that minimum wage push seem to be girding for another.
On Tuesday, Raise Up Massachusetts, a progressive coalition of labor, community and faith-based organizations, released a statement that celebrated the minimum wage finally reaching $15 as of Jan. 1, 2023 — but simultaneously described that new rate as inadequate.
“Despite the progress we’ve made, the minimum wage is still insufficient to meet the needs of working families, especially amid rising inflation,” Beth Kontos, the president of AFT Massachusetts, said in the statement.
So is another push for yet another minimum wage hike in the offing?
“Raise Up Mass. is certainly taking a serious look at it,” said Steve Crawford, a spokesperson for the group, calling it “perverse” that the benefits of the state’s beefed-up minimum wage have been undercut by inflation.
If a campaign for another hike is launched in the new year, Crawford said, it’s not clear if it will focus on action from the Legislature or on placing a ballot question before voters...
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