NH Minimum Wage Bill Signed Into Law

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE---New Hampshire’s minimum wage will rise for the first time in ten years following the signing of legislation this morning by Governor John Lynch.

The state’s minimum wage will go from $5.15 an hour to $6.50 on September 1, then will go up again to $7.25 a year later.

The signing ceremony was attended by legislative leaders as well as by representatives of many organizations that worked for the legislation’s passage. These included Mark MacKenzie of the NH AFL-CIO, Teresa De Langis of the NH Commission on the Status of Women, Grace Mattern of the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Jon Baird of NH Legal Assistance.

In his signing statement, Gov. Lynch singled out AFSC’s Martha Yager for praise. "I would like to thank Martha Yager of the American Friends Service Committee for working tirelessly on this issue and many other issues affecting the well-being of New Hampshire citizens, and I wish her luck in her new role." Martha is now the Program Coordinator for the AFSC’s South Eastern New England Program, based in Providence Rhode Island.

“This is a fabulous first step,” Martha says, “on the road to a more livable wage.”

For more information, contact Arnie Alpert, (603) 224-2407 or aalpert@afsc.org.

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