Hundreds rally at Boston Common for higher wages, rent control

Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday afternoon on Boston Common to march to the State House, demanding that state lawmakers raise the minimum wage and lift the ban on rent control, as Massachusetts residents struggle to afford soaring housing costs.

The rally and march were sponsored by more than 30 local organizations, including City Life/ Vida Urbana and the Boston Teachers Union. Buses brought in groups from outside the city, including from Brockton and Lynn.

Carolyn Chou, executive director of Homes for All Mass, addressed the crowd outside the State House. "If we don't have immediate solutions like rent stabilization and raising the minimum wage, we're not going to be here," she said. "We're fighting for our lives ... we're fighting for our right now and we're fighting for our future."

The groups were looking to bring attention to two pieces of legislation — one that could raise the minimum wage to $20 by 2027 and another to end a statewide ban on local rent stabilization measures. Rent control proponents previously pushed to add rent control to the 2024 ballot but suspended their campaign last fall, leaving the Legislature as the only remaining avenue to advance the issue.

Massachusetts last year raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour. It's had the highest rate in the region until this year, when Connecticut's rate went up to $15.69 per hour. Small business owners say higher wages makes it harder for them to hire and be profitable; at the same time, many hourly workers struggle to pay their bills and get ahead in Massachusetts.

Brockton landlord Ronel Remy, who volunteers for City Life/ Vida Urbana, said Massachusetts needs to pass legislation to help people afford to stay in their homes. He purchased his own home in 2007, he said, but before that, he was a tenant repeatedly displaced by rising rents.

"I'm taking a radical stand," Remy said. "If [lawmakers] don't want to do what they need to do, then we need to take them out and get others who represent our interests instead of the special interests they represent right now."

For Juan Díaz of Hyde Park, the stakes are high. "Our homes and apartments are unaffordable right now," he said. "And it's not fair that real estate, corporations and investors are taking control and buying up our city of Boston." He said he's been fighting an unjust eviction for two years.

In many reports, Massachusetts ranks as the third most expensive state to rent. Boston is particularly costly, with rent for a one-bedroom apartment averaging at nearly $3,000 a month.

However, rent control proposals are highly unpopular with most landlords, who say placing caps on rents will limit repairs and upkeep. Lawmakers who oppose it argue that rent control would be a disincentive to builders of new housing.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.