By Morgan Rousseau
Metro, June 12, 2014
... The Massachusetts Senate voted 35-4 Thursday to pass legislation that will raise the minimum wage in three increments from $8 an hour to $11 an hour. The hourly minimum wage would go to $9 on Jan. 1, 2015, to $10 the following new year, and finally to $11 on Jan. 1, 2017. The measure does not include a provision for future annual increases to keep up with inflation.
Massachusetts members of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a Boston-based network of business owners and executives, commended the hike, which many have described as a House-Senate compromise.
“A higher minimum wage will boost sales, keep more dollars circulating in our local economy, and reduce the strain on our social safety net caused by poverty wages,” said Holly Sklar, the network’s director. ...