Sign to Send the Message: Fought for Pay Raise? Fight for $15.
Overriding a veto, the Legislature
passed a raise for
ranking legislators,
state constitutional officers,
and judges.
We think hard work should be compensated fairly.
For everyone. Tell your legislators:
Fight for 15 (and shared prosperity for all)
Dear Legislators,
Although I have concerns with how the pay raise was passed, I understand the value of paying public servants well.
If such offices are not well-compensated, then only those who are independently wealthy would be able to run for office and serve the public.
Additionally, compensating legislators fairly can eliminate the need for them to have second jobs, which often create a landmine of ethics conflicts, as we have seen on the national level.
But low-wage workers across Massachusetts deserve a raise, too.
Despite the latest minimum wage increase, the minimum wage is not a living wage, and no one who works full time should be in poverty.
That is why I urge you to push for a $15 minimum wage for all workers.
If you have not already, please co-sponsor SD.984, "An Act to improve the Commonwealth’s economy with a strong minimum wage and a strong tipped minimum wage."
Although the deadline for co-sponsoring the House bill (HD.2719), there is no deadline for co-sponsoring Senate bills.
Cross-chamber co-sponsorship would really illustrate your commitment to fair compensation--not only for your Beacon Hill colleagues, but for hard-working low-wage workers, who are trying to get by with honest work, too.
I would like to thank for your support for fair compensation for all, and encourage you to put pressure on your peers to pass the $15 minimum wage, as well as other economic justice legislation found on the Progressive Mass legislative agenda.
Sincerely,
Beacon Hill, How About a Raise for Massachusetts Workers, Too?
A new legislative session in the Legislature typically kicks off with a string of votes setting the rules for the following two years.
But this year, before taking up the rules (or even finalizing offices and committee assignments), the House and Senate voted to raise the salaries and stipends for ranking legislative officers (such as Senate President Stan Rosenberg and House Speaker Robert DeLeo, among others), state constitutional officers (Governor Charlie Baker, AG Maura Healey, etc.), and judges.
And then the Thursday before last, both chambers easily overrode Governor Baker's veto, with dissent coming from Republicans, a handful of conservative Democrats, and a trio of progressive Democrats (Jon Hecht of Watertown, Denise Provost of Somerville, and Mike Connolly of Cambridge).
Let's be clear: paying public servants well is important to good governance.
If such offices are not well-compensated, then only those who are already well-off will be interested in running or serving.
And sufficient compensation can also reduce the need for legislators to have jobs on the side, a Pandora’s box of ethics conflicts.
Nonetheless, given the details and the context of the pay raise, it should be no surprise that it has rubbed many progressive voters the wrong way.