Community Corner
Should the State Minimum Wage Be Increased?
The debate raged Tuesday on Beacon Hill, where a Senate bill proposes raising the minimum wage from $8 to $11 by 2015 with inflation-based increases beginning in 2016. How would such a change affect the Vineyard economy? Tell us.
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A packed hearing on Beacon Hill Tuesday dealt with the issue of possibly raising the mimimum wage for workers in Massachusetts, according to an Associated Press report posted on WBUR.com.
While those in favor of the wage increase believe it to be about fairness and economic justice, the AP reported business groups said raising the minimum wage would make the state less competitive.
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Prior to Tuesday, SEIU Local 509Â Director of Communications Jason Stephany said in a statement the minimum wage in the state has been at $8 an hour since January 2008.
"Many jobs at large retail and restaurant chains pay so little that even full-time workers must rely on public assistance for the most basic necessities," according to the statement.Â
Find out what's happening in Martha's Vineyardfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Senate version of the bill is sponsored by Democrat Marc Pacheco of Taunton and would increase the minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2015, followed by an increase based on inflation with the Consumer Price Index starting in 2016.
Do you think the state should increase the minimum wage? How would that affect the economy on Martha's Vineyard? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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