BOSTON (AP) - A Massachusetts legislative committee is taking up proposals that would boost the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and require employers to offer paid sick leave.
The group Raise Up Massachusetts gathered tens of thousands of voter signatures in support of both measures last year and expects to put them on the ballot in November if they are not approved by lawmakers.
The Legislature’s Labor and Workforce Development committee will hold a hearing on both initiative petitions on Tuesday.
The state’s current minimum wage is $11 an hour. The proposal would take it to $15 in four annual increments beginning in 2019.
The other bill would guarantee workers access to 16 weeks of paid leave for medical reasons or to care for a new baby or family member.
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