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February 4, 2014

Malloy calls for highest min. wage in the country

PABLO ROBLES Gov. Dannel P. Malloy

Gov. Dannel Malloy said Tuesday that he wants to increase Connecticut’s minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2017, which would be the highest in the country.

The proposal comes less than a year after Malloy and the state legislature agreed to increase the minimum wage from $8.25 to $9 by Jan. 1, 2015. The governor plans to submit legislation that would modify that schedule, increasing the 2015 minimum wage to $9.15, followed by increases to $9.60 in 2016 and $10.10 in 2017.

“For too long, the minimum wage has not kept up with the cost of living,” Malloy said in a statement. “When workers earn more money, businesses will have more customers. This modest boost will help those earning the least to make ends meet.”

As many as 90,000 of Connecticut’s 1.7 million workers, or 5 percent, are earning minimum wage, according to Malloy’s office.

Even after the increase, a family with a single income earner making minimum wage would remain nearly $3,000 below the federal poverty line.

Peter Gioia, economist and vice president at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, said another wage increase will cause some companies to reevaluate doing business in Connecticut.

“It makes us an outlier,” Gioia said. “You’re going to see a lot more automation and a lot fewer jobs, and we haven’t even replaced all the jobs we lost since the Great Recession.”

Additionally, companies that are paying a bit more than the minimum wage may feel pressure to raise wages, he said.

Read more

CT minimum wage hike hits employers Jan. 1

Senate to vote today on min. wage bill

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