“The dawn of the new year brought a some good news for Massachusetts workers, with another increase in the minimum wage and, more importantly, the implementation of guaranteed paid family and medical leave.
The changes, negotiated as part of the so-called "grand bargain" in 2018, will certainly bring at least a modest boost to the fortunes of workers across the state struggling with the financial and health challenges brought on by relentless coronavirus pandemic.”
Read More“Some say the minimum wage is not high enough.
‘Sure it was a win, but it’s not enough,’ said Alicia Fleming, co-executive director of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, said of the wage increase set to eventually reach $15 per hour. ‘People deserve and need so much more.’
Lily Huang, Fleming’s co-director at Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, echoed that sentiment in a recent statement from Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition that gathered signatures to get a $15 minimum wage question on the ballot.
‘While many white-collar workers have spent the pandemic sheltering in their home offices and seeing their savings accounts grow, hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers have spent the past nine months struggling to afford protective equipment, food, and rent while working on the frontlines to keep others safe,’ Huang said.”
Read More“IT’S BEEN A TOUGH YEAR for low-wage workers, who were hit hard by the pandemic – losing jobs and income and facing housing and food insecurity.
But in Massachusetts, changes in state law that go into effect January 1 could bring at least slight relief. The minimum wage is set to rise next year, and the state’s paid family and medical leave program will go into effect as well.”
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