SEIU 1199NE President Rob Baril opened the ceremony in which Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill that will raise Connecticut’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2023.

The current minimum wage of $10.10 an hour will climb through gradual increases for the next several years under the law signed Tuesday.

The Democratic governor signed the law at the Parkville Care Center in Hartford. He said the increases will help lift workers out of poverty, reduce pay disparities between races and genders and stimulate the state’s economy.

An estimated 130,000 workers are expected to benefit from the first increase planned for October, when the minimum wage will climb to $11 an hour.

Opponents have argued the legislation will be another cost for employers.

Massachusetts has approved a $15 minimum wage and Rhode Island is considering it.

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