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Massachusetts Minimum Wage Increase Initiative (2014)

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A Massachusetts Minimum Wage Increase Initiative did not appear on the November 4, 2014 ballot in Massachusetts as an initiated state statute. The measure would have increased the minimum wage in the state from $8 an hour to $10.50 an hour over two years.[1]

Raise Up Massachusetts announced, via social media, that they submitted over 80,750 signatures for the Minimum Wage Increase Initiative and the Paid Sick Days Initiative on June 18, 2014.[2] However, on the same day, the Massachusetts Legislature raised the state's minimum wage $11 per hour. Raise Up Massachusetts decided to withdraw their signatures on June 23, 2014 since the $11 wage bill was even higher than their $10.50 wage initiative. Rep. Tom Conroy (D-13) said, "The grassroots organizing carried out by Raise Up Massachusetts changed the conversation on raising the minimum wage."[3]

Support

The measure was sponsored by the group Raise Up Massachusetts.[1][4]

Supporters

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts

Supporters first had to submit the initiative, signed by ten voters, to the Massachusetts Attorney General by August 7, 2013. The attorney general then had to determine whether the measure met the legal requirements for circulation, which it did.[6]


An advertisement in put out by Raise Up Massachusetts supporting the minimum wage and paid sick days initiatives.

In order to qualify for the ballot, supporters were required to collect a minimum of 68,911 valid signatures by November 20, 2013 and submit them to local registrars for certification. Then, these certified petitions were successfully filed with the secretary of state on the December 4, 2013 deadline, after which the secretary of state determined enough valid signatures had been collected.[7]

The Massachusetts General Court had until May 7, 2014 to either accept or reject the measure or take no action. No action was taken, therefore, the original supporters of the measure must collect an additional 11,485 signatures and submit them to local registrars for certification by June 18, 2014. These signatures must then be filed with the secretary of state no later than July 2, 2014.[6][8][9]

Similar measures

The following measures related to minimum wage increases were proposed for the general election ballot in November:

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Republic, "Biz group seeks to tie reforms in Mass. unemployment insurance to minimum wage hike," November 25, 2013
  2. ↑ Raise Up MA Twitter, "We've collected 80,764 signatures this round of signature gathering!" June 17, 2014
  3. ↑ Boston.com, "Group withdraws minimum wage ballot question," June 23, 2014 (dead link)
  4. ↑ Raise Up Massachusetts, "Homepage," accessed December 3, 2013
  5. ↑ Boston.com, "Ballot question backers deliver needed signatures," December 3, 2013 (dead link)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 State Ballot Question Petitions, "CALENDAR FOR AN INITIATIVE PETITION FOR A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT," accessed December 3, 2013
  7. ↑ South Coast Today, "Bottle bill expansion, limits to gas-tax on track for 2014 ballot," December 4, 2013
  8. ↑ Weymouth News, "State House News -- Initiative petition campaigns keep on pace for 2014 ballot," December 4, 2013
  9. ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of State, "State Ballot Question Petitions," accessed May 13, 2014
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