PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Tuesday signed legislation increasing the minimum wage to $11.50 an hour starting Oct. 1.
The signing took place at a ceremony at the Rhode Island AFL-CIO Hall in Providence.
Legislation supporting the $1-per-hour increase was passed by the General Assembly last Wednesday, March 4. Bills to increase the minimum wage were sponsored by Sen. Erin Lynch Prata, D-Warwick, and Rep. David A. Bennett, D-Warwick.
The current minimum wage is $10.50, which increased from $10.10 on Jan. 1, 2019. Raimondo called for an increase to the minimum wage in her proposed budget presented to the General Assembly in January.
The bill does affect the state tipped minimum wage of $3.89 per hour.
In Massachusetts, the minimum hourly wage is $12.75, with scheduled 75-cent increases planned every year until 2023, when the state will have a $15-per-hour minimum wage. Connecticut’s minimum wage is $11 per hour, with legislation passed to increase the minimum to $15 by 2023.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor. You may reach him at Bergenheim@PBN.com.
