THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 Page 3 Malden State Sen. Lewis: Raise minimum wage to $20 per hour by 2027 Legislature’s Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development hears proposal; backers cite double-digit infl ation, other factors; business owners balk, say layoffs and higher prices, more infl ation will follow By Steve Freker I n 2014, Massachusetts emerged as one of the first states leading the charge to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour – where it stands now after a push that started when the minimum stood at $8 an hour. At $15 per hour, Massachusetts now has one of the highest state minimum wages in the nation. Some state legislators want to make it even higher – as soon as possible – due to the high cost of living and infl ation concerns here. On Tuesday, a familiar voice led a renewed call to hike the minimum wage in the Commonwealth, as State Senator Jason Lewis (D-5th Middlesex) urged lawmakers to back a push to raise the pay rate even higher, this time to $20 per hour by 2027. Additionally, a joint legislative contingent seeks to tie even further future minimum wage hikes over $20 per hour, indexing more hourly raises down the road to increase in the “TWENTIES”: $20 PER HOUR: The Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development heard testimony on Tuesday on a new proposal by Malden State Senator Jason Lewis (D-5th Middlesex) to raise the Massachusetts minimum wage to $20 per hour by 2027. infl ation rate. “We need to raise the minimum wage again,” Senator Lewis, one of the bill’s primary sponsors, told the committee Tuesday. “Nobody expected that we would be seeing close to double digit infl ation. That level of infl ation has really eaten into the real earnings that our residents are taking home.” The cost of living in Massachusetts continues to soar higher than in most other states in the New England and the Northeast, supporters of higher wages claim. In Massachusetts, increases in recent years that have nearly doubled the minimum wage from $8 to $15 per hour since 2014 have not kept up with record high infl ation and the Commonwealth’s rising cost of living, higher pay backers say. Those who have historically been against the minimum wage hikes, primarily critics who operate Massachusetts businesses, claim another substantial hike such as this would hurt employers in several ways, cause layoff s and generally impact the state’s economy adversely. A recent report released by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) estimates the new Massachusetts wage hike plan would cost an estimated 23,000 jobs – or 0.5% of the state’s employment base – many of them among small business owners. In an online report, Chris Carlozzi, NFIB’s Malden State Senator Jason Lewis (D-5th Middlesex) is one of the chief sponsors of a proposal before state legislatures to raise the Massachusetts minimum wage – already one of the highest in the U.S. at $15 per hour – to $20 per hour by 2027. Massachusetts state director, said the report shows “now is not the time” to raise the minimum wage floor to $20. He added that such a move “would hurt small businesses and consumers.” “Raising the base wage to $20 is not only unsustainable for Massachusetts employers who are already raising compensation to counteract the state’s labor shortage and attract workers into the workforce,” Carlozzi said. “These types of one-sizefi ts-all mandates hurt smaller, Main Street businesses that cannot absorb the cost the most.” Massachusetts has one of the highest state minimum wages in the nation, which rose to $15 per hour in January under a 2018 agreement between lawmakers, worker advocates and the business community. The wage has increased nearly every year since 2014, when it was $8 an hour. The minimum hike wage proposal also calls for raising the state’s sub-minimum “cash wage” at restaurants and bars from $6.75 per hour to $12 per hour by 2027. Cash wages allow employers to meet their minimum wage obligation for tipped workers using a credit for customer tips. THANK YOU REVERE! Your dedication to our city is sincerely appreciated as we move forward to the general election. Serving as Acting Mayor of Revere has been an immense honor and I will continue to work tirelessly each day to earn the opportunity to continue to represent you. The job of being Mayor is to represent the needs of all our citizens. To give them a voice, to include them in the daily fabric of our city. Even if you supported another candidate in the preliminary election, or perhaps you didn't exercise your right to vote. I commit to you that I will spend every day from now until November 7th to help put your faith in a government that works for you and to earn your trust and your vote. With that, I encourage residents to reach out with questions, concerns, or conversations. I can be reached at 617-213-0731. We’d also like to extend our gratitude to our opponents - Steve Morabito and Gerry Visconti. Thank you to Steve for his decade of service on city council and to Gerry for his years of service on both school committee and city council. It was an honor to serve with you both. I look forward to continued collaborations and I wish you and your families all the best in your future endeavors. I will work hard to earn the vote of your supporters in the general election. There is very little we cannot do as a city, if we do it together. If we decide that we are stronger unified than we are apart. To put aside petty differences and use our collective will to move this city forward. To have a city that we can be proud of, a city we can believe in. I believe in Revere, and I know that you do too. Leadership is about addition, not subtraction, about mending fences, not building taller ones. Join me and let us build something special, together. JOIN OUR TEAM
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