Arlington Minimum Hourly Wage to Increase To $10: Report

ARLINGTON, MA—Arlington's town employees could see minimum wages of up to $11 per hour in 2017, as Town officials have moved to raise the minimum wage.

According to a report by Wicked Local Arlington, a wage increase request from Town Meeting member and Allin Elementary lunch recess aide Peter Fuller requested an increase of wages for recess aides in town from the School Committtee on Feb. 25. The report also indicates that town employees will make $10 per hour starting in April, and will increase to $11 per hour in 2017.

Reports Nick Greenhalgh of Wicked Local Arlington:

Currently, state law does not require municipalities to comply with the state minimum wage limit, merely with the federal minimum wage limit.

Federal minimum wage is $7.25, while the Massachusetts minimum wage is $10.

Due to the town’s status as a municipality, minimum wage employees like Fuller were being paid the federal minimum wage, not the state minimum wage.

According to Superintendent Kathy Bodie and Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine, the town is in the process of raising the minimum wage compensation to federal levels.

“Though the state law doesn't require municipalities to meet the minimum wage standards, after a discussion between town and school leadership we decided that moving forward with implementing the state standards was the appropriate course of action,” Chapdelaine said in an email to the Advocate. “We all agreed that implementation was a fair and equitable approach.”

Fuller brought the issue before the board due to his concerns with the effects of low wages on employees.

“It’s poor practice. It makes recruiting and retaining people harder,” he said while referencing open recess aide positions at three of the town’s elementary schools.

The report indicates that 2017 wage increases will rise to match the state minimum wage. Patch attempted to contact Town Manager Chapdelaine regarding this information, but he was currently unavailable for comment.