Human Resource Blog

Massachusetts Minimum Wage

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Does Massachusetts have a minimum wage? If so, what is it?

Massachusetts and California are now tied for second-highest minimum wage in the nation. On January 1, 2008, the state’s minimum wage went up by 50 cents hourly and became $8.00 an hour, putting it and California second only to Washington State.

Every time the state or federal minimum wage changes, employers must update their labor law posters. It’s required by law. The best way to deal with the requirement is to check out www.laborlawcenter.com for more information.

While the state’s minimum wage ranks high, nevertheless there are significant numbers of exceptions to the law, in which employers are not required to pay the rate.

Tipped employees, according to law, need only be paid $2.63 an hour, provided that they can earn about $5.37 an hour in tips during a shift. Agriculture industry workers need only be paid $1.60 an hour.

Most workers in Massachusetts as well as other states receive “time-and-a-half” or overtime pay for hours worked beyond the normal 40 hours a week.

There are many Massachusetts employees who are not covered by overtime regulations. They include residential janitors furnished with their own living quarters; seamen; truck drivers or helpers covered by the ICC; child actors, newsboys; golf caddies, apprentices; outside salespeople; fishermen; handicapped people under special license; and switchboard operators for the phone company.

There are other exclusions as well. Among them are employees of seasonal businesses, as long as those businesses are in operation less than 120 hours yearly. Exempt also are hotel and restaurant workers, and employees in hospitals, gas stations, amusement parks, and nursing homes. Non-profit schools or colleges need not pay overtime, nor do non-profit summer camps.

However, in many cases, the employees mentioned above may have the right to overtime guaranteed by federal law.

The Massachusetts minimum wage law does not mandate that employers pay premium wages for weekends, night work, or holidays. The so-called “Blue Laws,” however, may offer protection. Those laws entitled employees in some retail businesses to pay premiums for holiday and Sunday work.

Finally, Massachusetts and a few other states mandate that employers compensate their workers for accrued vacation time at the time of termination. But paid sick days or severance pay is not guaranteed. JH