BOSTON — The Massachusetts Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage to a nation-leading $11 an hour by 2017 in a move that Democratic leaders said they feel confident will be enough to avoid a costly ballot campaign this fall for higher wages.
The Senate voted 35-4 to pass legislation that would gradually increase the minimum wage in three steps from its current perch at $8 an hour to $11 an hour in 2017, with $1 increases taking effect on the first day of each of the next three years starting on Jan. 1, 2015.