Connecticut Minimum Wage Increasing on New Year's Day 2016

By RICH SCINTO (Patch Staff)

The New Year will bring with it a 45-cent increase in the minimum wage for Connecticut workers.

Connecticut’s minimum wage will go from $9.15 to $9.60 as the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1. The increase is the result of a law passed in 2014 that established several step increases. It will culminate in a minimum wage of $10.10 on Jan. 1, 2017.

Connecticut will be one of 14 states that will begin the year with a higher minimum wage, according to the National Conference Of State Legislatures. Some states enact raises through legislation while others rely on a cost of living index.

As of Jan. 1, 2016, Connecticut’s minimum wage will be higher than all states except, Alaska, California, D.C. and Massachusetts. It will have the same minimum as Rhode Island and Vermont.

“Nobody who works full-time should live in poverty,” Gov. Dannel Malloy said. “We believe hardworking men and women, many of whom are supporting families, deserve fair wages. I am proud that Connecticut has been a leader in promoting a higher hourly wage. It is a modest increase that will give working families a boost while also having stimulative economic effects.”

The minimum wage was increased from $8.25 to $8.70 on Jan. 1, 2014.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman said the increase will help bolster the state’s economy, especially among households headed by women and minorities.

“In Connecticut, more than 60-percent of the minimum wage workforce is made up of women,” Wyman said. “This pay increase will help us narrow wage gaps, but it’s also part of broader efforts to ensure that full time workers can afford to work and live in Connecticut.”

Eleven states, plus Washington, D.C., passed legislation in 2014 to increase the minimum wage and voters in four other states increased the minimum wage through ballot measures.

A July survey by Small Business Majority found that three out of five small business owners with employees support gradual increases in the minimum wage.

Editor’s Note: This article originally ran on Dec. 29; photo by Tax Credits, via flickr creative commons