2005 Increase of the Minimum Wage in Massachusetts

In 2005, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO successfully pushed for an increase in the state minimum wage, which had remained stagnant for years. On January 1, 2007, this bill raised the minimum wage in Massachusetts to $7.50, one of the highest in the nation. In January of 2008, the same bill will raise Massachusetts's minimum wage to $8.00 an hour. Research has shown that raising the minimum wage will help nearly half a million low-wage workers across the Commonwealth. Whether direct or indirect, almost 500,000 people will see some kind of wage increase due to the passage of this bill.