Mass. Gov. Signs Legislation To Raise Minimum Wage To Highest in Nation

The bill will gradually raise the Bay State’s minimum wage to $11 an hour over 3 years

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed legislation on Thursday that will raise the state’s minimum wage to the highest in the nation.

The bill will gradually raise the Bay State’s minimum wage to $11 an hour over three years, lower unemployment insurance costs for employers, strengthen safety protections for workers, and make the multi-agency task force charged with combatting the underground economy permanent.

The minimum wage will reach $11 an hour in 2017.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh released a statement about the legislation which reads in part:

“Our communities are increasingly becoming those of haves and have-nots. No parent working full-time should have to raise their children in poverty. This increase in the minimum and tipped wages will benefit more than half a million people, the majority of whom are women. It will allow these families to better support themselves and have more dollars to reinvest in our local economy. I also thank the many stakeholders who have played an important role in increasing our minimum wage and securing this pathway out of poverty for hard-working families in Massachusetts."

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