Read statement of President Haynes here.

After weeks of stall and delay tactics by Republicans in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, a bill to raise the minimum wage by $1.25 over two years was finally passed by the state legislature today, July 13, 2006. The bill is set to raise the minimum wage by 75-cents on January 1, 2007, and 50-cents on January 8, 2006, which would make the minimum wage in Massachusetts $8 per hour.

The minimum wage raise is now on Governor Romney's desk and it is up to him to give workers the raise they have been waiting for these last five and a half years. It has been since 2001 that workers have waited for the raise they deserve for their hard work. We urge Governor Romney to move swiftly and sign this bill into law so that workers can count on a raise come the New Year. Please call Governor Romney at (617) 725-4005 and tell him to sign this bill into law immediately. You may also email him by clicking here.

The leadership of the state legislature is to be congratulated for addressing the needs of workers and seeing this good compromise bill through to passage. While it was a long and arduous process, which is not yet complete, and the bill is not the full bill favored by workers, this minimum wage raise will improve the quality of life for workers across the Commonwealth. We thank the state legislature for standing with workers at the end of the day.

If Governor Romney does as he should do, Massachusetts can once again be proud of our minimum wage. Organized labor has always pursued measures that would improve the quality of life for workers, and clearly this bill will do that. It will still not be easy to support a family on this wage, but it will be significantly less difficult than it was.