Do You Think Mass. Should Raise the Minimum Wage?

State Senator James Timilty, D-Walpole and State Reps. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, Betty Poirier, R-North Attleboro, and Steven Howitt, R-Seekonk spoke at a Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce (Mansfield, Foxboro, and Norton) event in Mansfield to discuss their opposition to the proposed increase in the Massachusetts minimum wage, according to the Sun Chronicle.  

While the legislators support a modest increase from $8 to $9 per hour next year, instead of and increase to $11 over the next three years that was voted on by the State Senate. They argued that the proposed increase would be too costly and would hurt companies.

Timilty sponsored an amendment, which was overwhelmingly rejected, that would have removed a provision indexing the minimum wage to inflation. The bill will be debated in the house, which lawmakers said would probably support a more modest increase, somewhere between their proposal and the amendment passed by the Senate.