Minimum Wage Hike Affects Thousands of Berkshire Workers

Gov. Deval Patrick signs into the law the nation's highest minimum wage.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Minimum wage workers just got a boost in Massachusetts.

Gov. Deval Patrick on Thursday signed a bill making the state's minimum wage the highest in the nation, raising it from the current $8 to $11 over the next several years.

According to data from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the hike will directly affect some 11,000 workers in the greater Pittsfield area and indirectly another 2,600, or about 27 percent of wage earners.

"Today, Massachusetts joins a growing coalition of states that have taken up the president's call to increase wages and ensure no American working full-time has to support a family in poverty," said the White House in a statement. "Governors, state legislatures, and private businesses are leading by taking action, and we urge Congress to join them so that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed."

Opponents have said the increase would negatively impact business and drive up consumer costs. The Massachusetts Restaurant Association has said it was better to create jobs and advancement opportunities rather than raise wages for entry-level workers such as teenagers.

The bill also lowers unemployment insurance costs for employers, is designed to strengthen safety protections for workers and makes permanent the multiagency task force charged with combating the underground economy.

Eight other states have raised minimum wages this year, including Connecticut to $10.10 and Vermont to $10.50. President Obama has been lobbying Congress to set $10.10 as the federal minimum.

Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.