Mass. minimum wage will increase to $12 per hour starting Jan. 1

BOSTON — The state’s minimum wage will increase to $12 per hour starting on Jan. 1, 2019.

The AG’s Office has updated its wage and hour poster that Massachusetts employers are required to display in both English and any other language that is spoken by five percent or more of the employer’s workforce.

The poster is available in seven languages and is free of charge for employers, workers, organizations and members of the public.

“My office’s Fair Labor Division is issuing this reminder to make sure workers know their rights and employers know their obligations under the law,” Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. “We remain dedicated to protecting the economic security of Massachusetts workers and their families through education, outreach, and enforcement actions.”

In June 2018, the Massachusetts Legislature passed a law that set the minimum wage to increase each year until it reaches $15 in 2023, beginning this year with an increase to $12 per hour.

Also effective Jan. 1, tipped employees (those who receive more than $20 a month in tips) must be paid a minimum of $4.35 per hour provided that, with tips, the employee receives at least $12 per hour. If the total hourly rate for the employee including tips does not equal $12 at the end of the shift, the employer must make up the difference.

Hard copies of the AG’s Wage and Hour poster are available in English, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese upon request. For a copy, visit www.mass.gov/ago/fldposter or call 617-963-2327. Posters are also available to download and print on the AG’s Fair Labor Division website.

Workers who believe that their rights have been violated in the workplace can call the office’s Fair Labor Hotline at 617-727-3465.

Cox Media Group