Hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts workers are expected to see a boost in pay on Jan. 1 when the state's hourly minimum wage increases from $9 to $10 per hour.
The increase is tied to a 2014 state law that called for the minimum wage — then $8 an hour — to rise in three steps.
The first hike to $9 came this past January. The final step is slated for Jan. 1, 2017, when the minimum wage will lock in at $11 an hour. That represents the highest scheduled increase of any U.S. state, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center says about 450,000 workers will benefit from the latest hike. The center says about 60 percent of those workers are women and 23 percent are parents.
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