Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Lawmakers Hear Broad Support for Bills to Raise Wages at Public Colleges
Summary
Teachers, college presidents and business leaders urged the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development to pass House Bill 2185 and Senate Bill 1365 to bring public higher‑education salaries closer to national, cost‑of‑living‑adjusted averages and to fully fund collective bargaining increases.
Lawmakers heard unified testimony on April 16 urging passage of House Bill 2185 and Senate Bill 1365, measures that would raise wages for employees at Massachusetts public colleges and universities and provide funding mechanisms to cover collective bargaining increases.
Supporters told the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development that low pay is undercutting recruitment and retention across the state college system and harming students’ classroom experience. Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and faculty, union and campus leaders described wide gaps between local pay and national, cost‑of‑living‑adjusted averages.
“The other part of that equation is that when we welcome in new students…we are seeing huge growth…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
