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Supports minimum wage hike

June 6, 2006 - State Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, made quick use of local airwaves to talk about illegal immigration, minimum wage and other issues facing the area.

Moore was the guest of WESO "The Spirit" 970-AM's "Sound Off" talk show yesterday afternoon with host A.J. Berthiaume, and spoke on a variety of topics during the one-hour discussion.

Moore said he supports the proposed minimum wage amendment, which would raise the state's minimum wage from $6.75 per hour to $8.25 per hour — a $1.25 per hour pay increase for Bay State workers.

"The intent is to raise the minimum wage," Moore said. "It hasn't been raised in a number of years."

The amendment, Moore said, has passed in the Senate but final talks are still ongoing.

"The vote was quite bipartisan," said Moore, who is up for re-election this year.

If the minimum wage amendment is officially passed and takes effect, thousands of workers across the state would see a noticeable increase in their pay checks — 38,000 in Moore's district alone.

The current minimum wage of $6.75 took effect Jan. 1, 2001, up 75 cents from the prior minimum wage of $6.00, which took effect Jan. 1, 2000.

The proposed state minimum wage is significantly higher than the federal government's minimum wage of $5.15 per hour and Moore indicated that he believes the federal wage should also be increased.

"The federal wage hasn't changed in 15 years or more," Moore attested. "It's something the [government] should be looking at."

Massachusetts is one of 19 states to have a greater minimum wage than the federal government's, including each New England state other than Vermont.

Only Rhode Island ($7.10), Alaska ($7.15), Vermont ($7.25), Connecticut ($7.40), Oregon ($7.50) and Washington ($7.63) have greater minimum wages. Hawaii, New York and Connecticut will be raising their minimum wages, effective Jan. 1, 2007, to $7.25, $7.15 and $7.65 per hour, respectively.

While the state minimum wage may increase, that does not mean that those illegal immigrants paid under the table with cash will be positively effected.

Moore said many illegal immigrants are forced to work for low wages — which are often times significantly greater than what they would earn in their native countries — and cannot go to government officials to complain that they are not making minimum wage because of the fear of repercussions.

"[Illegal immigrant employers] abuse the people who come here illegally because they hang a hammer over them," Moore said. "Until we start enforcing that, you can build all the fences you want but it's not going to work."

Moore said illegal immigrants put a drain on the local, state and federal economy because they do not pay taxes and often times make trips to the hospital emergency room for health issues that, if health insurance was able to be purchased, could easily be treated through visits and appointments with a family physician.

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