Connecticut is the latest state to move towards a $15 minimum wage. On May 17th, the state Senate approved HB 5004, which raises the hourly minimum wage from $10.10 to $15 by 2023. The bill was signed into law by Governor Ned Lamont on May 28.
The state minimum wage will rise according to the following schedule:
- October 1, 2019 - $11 per hour
- September 1, 2020 - $12 per hour
- August 1, 2021 - $13 per hour
- July 1, 2022 - $14 per hour
- June 1, 2023 - $15 per hour
More and more states calculate increases to minimum wage rates based on the consumer price index. Connecticut will be the first and only state to instead tie future increases to the minimum wage to the employment cost index – a quarterly metric created by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that details changes in the costs of labor in the U.S. However, if the employment cost index decreases, it will not decrease minimum wage.
At least for now, minimum wage for tipped workers, including restaurant wait staff, will stay at $6.38 an hour and minimum wage for bartenders will stay at $8.23 an hour.
Employers should take the time to prepare themselves for these increases. Employers should also be careful to ensure any salaries paid to non-exempt workers are in compliance with these increased wage rates.
Robert G. Brody is the Founder and Managing Member of Brody and Associates, LLC, a management-side Labor, Employment, and Benefits law firm in Westport, CT. Co-author, Lindsay M. Rinehart is an associate at the Firm. If we can be of assistance in this area, please contact us at info@brodyandassociates.comor 203.454.0560. For more information about Brody and Associates, LLC please visit www.brodyandassociates.com.
