Finally. Wouldn't want them to be unequal in any way, whatsoever.
Posted on 11/22/2013 6:26:09 PM PST by matt04
The Massachusetts Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to raise the state's minimum wage from $8 an hour to $11 an hour over three years, giving a boost to nearly 600,000 workers and putting the state on track for the highest such pay in the nation.
The Senate voted 32-7 to approve the increase.
Under the bill, amended during debate, the minimum wage would increase to $9 an hour on July 1, $10 an hour on July 1, 2015, and $11 an hour starting July 1, 2016. The minimum wage in Massachusetts last increased to $8 an hour in January 2008.
In the shadow of a looming 2014 ballot question on the minimum wage, the Senate also voted 31-7 to increase the wage for tipped employees to half the minimum wage. The tipped wage is currently $2.63 per hour.
One supporter, Sen. Mark C. Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat, said the bill might help close the growing gap between the rich and poor.
"Tens of thousands of people are working full time and living below the poverty level," Montigny said. "It is inexcusable."
The bill now moves to the state House of Representatives, which is unlikely to vote on a minimum wage bill until sometime next year.
The bill for the first time would index the state's minimum wage to inflation. Starting in 2016, the minimum wage would rise each year at the same rate as the consumer price index for the Northeast.
Supporters have said the increase is needed because some companies are making strong profits, but lower wage workers are falling behind.
Opponents, including some business leaders, said that an increase would hike costs for businesses and could prompt layoffs.
(Excerpt) Read more at masslive.com ...
If this nation survives the oboma administration (though many predict we only have until fall of 2015 before the democrats house of cards collapses the entire global economy), automation will be the wave of the future. Businesses will either finish moving out of the country all together, or automate because they'd have no choice. The cost of minimal labor has already gotten too high to be sustainable.
Margaret Thatcher once said that "The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money", and she was soooooo right.
Personally, I like the automated check out at Walmart. I saw one at Home Depot as well. They're very convenient. You don't have to stand behind all those welfare people buying their crap with other peoples money.
Yes I have. I treated both my grown up kids a few weeks ago in a popular-but economical favorite restaurant and it was still a $35.00 shock. (Old home town).
Yea, well guess what... the price of things will just keep going higher and higher to compensate, as will the pay for skilled jobs. The "gap between rich and poor" will probably increase as a result.
Rather than how many million served, the sign will now say, "You want it for $5, make your own damn hamburger!"
A lot of burger flippers will be fired who just aren’t worth $11 an hour.
Look for more and more businesses to covert the majority of their checkouts to self checkout. Normally they have one attendant for 4-5 self checkout lanes.
Why not $20 per hour?
Government knows better than the free market place.
“Once they legalize the new 30Million Democrat voters, they will import more Mexicans to work under the table at these jobs.”
These increases also push automation; the fact is that there isn’t sufficient work for semi-literate, unreliable people, and as more-qualified watch their unemployment run out this wage will be paid to college grads working low-skill jobs.
Soon we’ll have to unload the trucks and stock the shelves ourselves if this keeps up!
There's got to be machines out there that can cook fries and flip burgers for gosh sakes. What is fast food waiting for? How long will people put up with this nonsense? For $11 an hour, they could have those machines paid off in no time.
Any entrepreneurial engineers out there? Here's your chance to be the next Bill gates. $$ ching ching $$!
“Say hello to a three hour wait for a $15 hamburger in undermanned McDonald’s all across the state!”
A Dollar General opened in my area, and when I visited I was surprised 1) how it wasn’t very cheap - any lower prices seemed to correspong to smaller packages, and 2) how few people work there. Some are young people, none are total dolts, but all seem to do multiple jobs. I don’t like it (and only shop there if I need one or two small things in a hurry) because while they have 3 or 4 checkouts there is usually only one open (you stand on line for a while, even if there aren’t many customers). If it backs up too much they call for another person, who shows up five minutes later because they’re in the middle of stocking shelves or something similar.
It is better than having a vacant property, and I’m sure the employees prefer those jobs to none, but there is no way anyone is raising a family on those wages.
Yeah. Really. Why should businesses put up with this crap?
If they don't like their pay, they can find another job. It's as simple as that. Quit bitching and start looking for something else!
More businesses will simply shut down in MA. Makes much more sense to expand in a business friendly state versus paying a premium for the same labor in states like MA.
Then those unemployed can go on the state and federal teats under the whole state goes belly up.
Right now it looks like the House will reject it. But this is the People’s Republic.
Finally. Wouldn't want them to be unequal in any way, whatsoever.
We have a BINGO!
This state is run by Union Pinkie Ring Boyz and the Democrat Ididots who vote in lockstep for benefit and free sh*t.
So many Masssholes so little time… taxpayers are fleeing the State in droves.
It will be the Moonbats v. the illegals v. the feral animals.
Welcome to our nightmare.
How to kill freedom in 300 years!
Way ta go Liberals!
so the criminals in MA just pushed a 40% wage increase to the unions
gee... how convenient
Good. Good. Send those jobs to Virginia.
-— There’s got to be machines out there that can cook fries and flip burgers for gosh sakes. What is fast food waiting for? -—
For it to be cost-effective. The ROI has to be there.
Oh, yes, many have noticed, and it’s not just going out to eat. My Mom was just complaining yesterday about how much food staples have gone up in the last few years. Me, I almost can’t believe what cars cost, even decent used vehicles, but then between all the gov’t regs* and “cash for clunkers”, what does one expect?
I was reading recently about the 2014 Jeep Cherokee and the 9-speed transmission — aparently part of the effort to meet the fuel efficiency standards. I don’t even want to think what a tranny job will cost on a 9 speed transmission.
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