By Max Lewontin
Sun Chronicle (MA), March 27, 2014
BOSTON - Alternating between chants of "Sí se puede" and "When we fight, we win!" almost 200 people gathered in front of the Statehouse Wednesday in support of a proposal to raise the minimum wage and tie subsequent increases to the cost of living. ...
The issue has been hotly debated in both branches of the Legislature. The state Senate passed a bill in November to raise the minimum wage from $8 to $11 an hour by 2016 while linking it to increases in inflation.
A House proposal currently seeking approval from the Ways and Means Committee is more limited, raising the wage to $10.50 without any further ties to inflation.
The rally was organized by Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of community, labor and faith organizations from across the state, drawing a large crowd carrying signs and banners despite an unseasonable wintry chill.
"There are thousands of business owners in this state that support raising the minimum wage," Michael Kanter, owner of Cambridge Naturals, a health food store in Cambridge, told the assembled crowd.
"(People) need to be able to take care of their families, to be able to show up at work. This is good for business and good for the economy." ...
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