by Jonathan C. Sterling
On March 27, Governor Dannel Malloy signed a law that will increase Connecticut’s minimum wage in each of the next three years. The minimum wage will rise to $10.10 per hour in 2017.
You may remember that just last year, a law was passed to increase the minimum wage to $8.70 beginning January 1, 2014. The 2013 law also increased the minimum wage to $9 per hour beginning January 1, 2015.
The new law ramps up the January 1, 2015, minimum wage even more to $9.15 per hour. On January 1, 2016, the minimum wage will increase to $9.60 per hour. Finally, on January 1, 2017, the minimum wage will move to $10.10 per hour, making it the highest in the country. Currently, Washington’s minimum wage is the highest at $9.32.
The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 per hour since 2009, although President Barack Obama has called for an increase. In any event, the federal minimum wage is very unlikely to equal or exceed Connecticut’s any time soon. Connecticut employers are required to comply with the state’s minimum wage law, even though federal law mandates a lower minimum wage.
The governor’s press release claims that the new law will result in raises for 90,000 workers in Connecticut. If you employ workers who earn less than $9.15 per hour, that will have to change by January 1, 2015. Of course, overtime pay for those workers will increase as well. Keep that in mind when budgeting for next year.
Jonathan C. Sterling is an editor of Connecticut Employment Law Letter and a shareholder of Carlton Fields Jorden Burt. He can be reached at jsterling@cfjblaw.com.