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Time For A Raise? Connecticut's Minimum Wage Increases Jan. 1

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- Connecticut's minimum wage will be increasing from $9.60 per hour to $10.10 on Jan. 1, as the result of a law signed in 2014 that scheduled increases for workers in three stages.

The state House and Senate have approved a bill to raise the minimum wage in Connecticut to $10.10 an hour.

The state House and Senate have approved a bill to raise the minimum wage in Connecticut to $10.10 an hour.

Photo Credit: General Assembly

The coming change is the final step in a series of three scheduled increases under the law that first increased the minimum wage from $8.70 to $9.15 on Jan. 1, 2015; from $9.15 to $9.60 on Jan. 1, 2016; and finally to $10.10 effective Jan. 1, 2017.

Connecticut was the first state in the country to adopt legislation establishing a $10.10 minimum wage.

“No one who works full-time should live in poverty. We believe hardworking men and women, many of whom are supporting families, deserve fair wages,” Gov. Dannel Malloy said in a statement. 

“I am proud that Connecticut has been a leader in promoting a higher hourly wage. This is money that goes right back into the economy. When workers earn more money, businesses will have more customers. This is a modest increase that will give working families a boost while also having stimulative economic effects.”

“More than 60 percent of Connecticut minimum wage earners are women – this increase will improve women’s economic security and the stability of working families throughout Connecticut,” Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman said. 

“It’s good for the economy and will have an immediate benefit for working men and women.”

According to a July 2015 study conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, three out of five small business owners with employees support a gradual increase in the minimum wage. 

The survey found that small business owners believe an increase “would immediately put more money in the pocket of low-wage workers who will then spend the money on such items as housing, food, and gas.” 

This boost in demand, the survey found, “will help stimulate the economy and help create opportunities.”

“The increase of Connecticut’s minimum wage to $10.10 works to everyone’s advantage because the end result is additional money in the hands of consumers who will spend it,” Connecticut Labor Commissioner Scott D. Jackson said.

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