Educators and advocates push to raise Massachusetts minimum wage to $20

Supporters of raising Massachusetts’ minimum wage told the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development on Nov. 17 that the state should gradually increase the minimum to $20 an hour by 2029 and index future increases to inflation.

Representative (Rep.) Gentile, who filed the bill in the House, said the proposal would "gradually raise the minimum wage to $20 over 4 years" and include an automatic adjustment provision. Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, told the committee the bill would extend minimum-wage coverage to municipal workers such as teacher aides and cafeteria staff and estimated the change would raise wages for almost 1 million workers.

Proponents argued wage growth supports local spending and small businesses, and that Massachusetts has room to be a leader among states with higher wage floors. Supporters asked lawmakers to consider subminimum tipped wage adjustments and to ensure municipal coverage. The committee did not take a vote on the proposal during this hearing; members encouraged written testimony and scheduled follow-up work.

The hearing did not include employer-side witnesses opposing the measure during the recorded testimony. Further committee consideration and potential amendments were left for a subsequent session.