BOSTON (AP) - Lawmakers are hearing arguments for and against proposals to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and require that workers be offered paid family medical leave.
The Legislature’s Labor and Workforce Development Committee heard testimony Tuesday on the two initiative petitions that are likely to go before Massachusetts voters in November.
Supporters who gathered nearly 250,000 signatures on behalf of the measures say they will improve the lives of low-income workers and their families.
The hourly minimum wage would be gradually raised from the current $11 to $15 by 2022.
Four Rhode Island lawmakers also announced a campaign for a $15 minimum wage by 2023 on Tuesday. It’s currently $10.10.
The National Federation of Independent Business is concerned about proposals that will increase the cost of doing business.
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