This is hardly the time for the Legislature to be putting the shine back on the state's old bad-for-business reputation.
Yet that's just what the Legislature has done in overriding Gov. Deval Patrick's veto of a bill that automatically grants plaintiffs in wage-and-hour cases treble damages if there is a finding in their favor.
While someone who proves an employer has violated the Wage Act is entitled to full back pay, along with interest and attorney's fees, in a 2005 decision the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that treble damages were only appropriate "where conduct is outrageous, because of the defendant's evil motive or his reckless indifference to the rights of others."
But legislators, who tend to be extremely generous with other people's money, are of the opinion that any plaintiff who prevails ought to get triple the amount withheld from them, regardless of the circumstances.
In an unusual twist, support for the Democratic governor's veto came mostly from Republican members of the House and Senate. But this wasn't enough to overcome the Democratic supermajority, which gave employers yet another reason to avoid the Bay State.
