Massachusetts Approves $15-per-hour Minimum Wage

The bill passed both House and Senate by a vast majority.

June 22, 2018

BOSTON – This week, Massachusetts lawmakers approved moving the state’s minimum wages to $15 per hour, the Boston Globe reports. The measure was part of a compromise bill that also stopped premium wages for Sunday employees, and mandated paid family and medical leave. Gov. Charlie Baker hasn’t confirmed his signature on the bill that’s now on his desk.

The compromise came about as groups rallied to put two ballot questions related to paid leave and raising the minimum wage before voters in November. Raise Up Massachusetts—a group in favor of a higher minimum wage—might still push to place the minimum wage question on the ballot this year.

“This compromise strikes the right balance of empowering employees, supporting our hard-working residents and ensuring that businesses can continue to provide good, steady jobs,” said House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo.

The bill will gradually bump up the state’s starting hourly wage from $11 to $15 by 2023, while also increasing the tipped employee minimum wage from $2.75 to $6.75 per hour within the same time frame. The family and medical leave would provide nearly all employees the ability to take up to 12 weeks for family leave and up to 20 weeks for medical leave while mandating they could come back to the same or similar positions with the same pay, status and benefits.

Massachusetts joins New York and California in having a state minimum wage of $15 per hour. Also this week, residents of Washington, D.C., which is moving its starting wage to $15 per hour by 2020, voted to extend this raise to tipped employees, according to WTOP-FM.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement