Massachusetts is Raising Minimum Wage to $11 Through 2016 – What Do You Think?

Massachusetts Senate has approved a minimum wage hike. Over the next three years it will go from $8 an hour to $11 an hour. Maine minimum wage is now, $7.50 an hour. Weird to think minimum wage was $3.55 an hour when I was 16 back in 1988.

Part of thinks minimum wage should be about $10-$11 an hour and there is another part of me that thinks when you raise the bottom wage, all of the goods and services will go up in price as a result. To further frustrate many medium wage earners, some won’t see any compensation. If you make $10 an hour now, a 50 cent minimum wage hike for example for many will effectively mean they are making less. In some ways it would seem to dilute the dollar.

I think somewhere along the line with big box and chains taking out the “ma and pa” smaller local retail and service businesses didn't help hourly wage earners. Owners have much more flexibility with their wages than an HR department in a big building out of state.

The other part of the equation is the manufacturing plants have largely dissolved over the years; place where a person could work an 8-12 hour day and make enough to own a home and cover expenses. However things would be more expensive if products were made here.

Imagine if we had to pay $20 for a tee-shirt today, there would be outrage. Some people think that making minimum wage is motivation to better yourself.

As you can see I really don't have a point here and there really isn’t a solution that I can come up with except working for a higher minimum wage is better than sitting around and waiting for it every month I suppose?