Mass. Lobby Group Wants $15/Hour Minimum Wage for Fast Food Workers, Paid Medical Leave

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By CHARLENE ARSENAULT (Patch Staff)

Photo via Shutterstock

A Massachusetts coalition made up of labor unions, religious groups and others recently announced its legislative priories, citing hiking the minimum wage to $15 and insisting paid family and medical leave.

Raise Up Massachusetts said in a release that following its successful campaigns last year to raise the minimum wage and garage earned sick time for workers in Massachusetts, it will now concentrate on three priorities.

The group said it will support legislation filed this session called “The Family and Medical Leave and Temporary Disability Insurance Program Act,” which would offer employees up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave to recover from illness or injury, or care for a family member.

Raise Up also lists working to establish a wage of $15 per hour for big box retail and fast food workers, supporting legislation, “An Act to establish a living wage for employees of big box retail and quick service fast food chains.” The act would require these corporations to pay their employees at least $15 an hour by 2018.

“We’re telling big corporations that it’s not OK to make so many millions of dollars in profits while leaving your employees behind,” said Lew Finfer, co-chair of Raise Up Massachusetts, in the release. “Community organizers, faith leaders and labor are united in the fight for $15.”

The group lists investing in education and transportation as its final of the top three priorities, stating, “Since cutting the income tax by $3 billion in the late 1990s, our state has reduced local aid, money that invests in good K-12 schools and local services, by more than 40 percent and cut funding for higher education and early education by more than 20 percent.”