Massachusetts will have the most generous paid family leave program in the nation, with all workers being given up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a sick family member or new child and up to 20 weeks of paid leave for their own medical needs.
The paid leave program will be funded by a 0.63 percent payroll tax split between employees and employers. Employees will see a deduction in their paychecks starting in 2019, with the leave benefits beginning in 2021.
The state's minimum wage will increase from $11 to $15 per hour over the next five years.
Gone will be time-and-a-half pay for retail workers on Sundays and holidays.
Governor Charlie Baker (R) is expected to sign the bill, which he called a "grand bargain." The measure was pushed through after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court threw out a proposed ballot initiative that would have imposed a 4 percent surtax on any portion of an individual's income above $1 million, accelerating negotiations to reach a compromise that would remove the impetus for other ballot questions that were less favorable to employers and the state.
