Many of Aubuchon’s 516 Massachusetts employees stated at minimum wage, some of them high-school students getting their first taste of the working world.

Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, Aubuchon said, will “cause a lot of companies like Aubuchon Hardware to question if they can hire as many people … Does it really need to be a $15 dollar an hour job when it’s someone that’s really just starting out in life?”

Roy Nascimento, president of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, agreed. He said minimum-wage jobs are meant to be “starting jobs,” not “jobs where people are going to be supporting their families.”