On May 28, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed Public Act No. 19-4, entitled "An Act Increasing the Minimum Fair Wage," that will raise the Connecticut minimum wage to $15.00 per hour in 2023, which is more than double the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
Under the new law, the current Connecticut minimum wage of $10.10 an hour will increase incrementally to $11.00 per hour on October 1, 2019, to $12.00 per hour on Sept. 1, 2020, to $13.00 per hour on Aug. 1, 2021, to $14.00 per hour on July 1, 2022, and then to $15.00 per hour on June 1, 2023. Future minimum wage increases will be tied to the federal employment cost index, which is calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor.
In doing so, Connecticut has joined six other states—California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York—to also raise the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. In addition, Washington, D.C. is set to raise its minimum wage to $15.00 per hour in 2020. Several cities, including New York City, San Francisco and Seattle have already set minimum wage rates at $15.00 per hour or above.
Despite the minimum wage increase, Connecticut's minimum tipped wage for hotel and restaurant employees remains $6.38 per hour and $8.23 per hour for bartenders. Connecticut employers are required to pay to employees the difference between the tipped wage and the state minimum wage if the employees do not receive the difference in wages with tips. The new law requires the Connecticut Labor Commissioner to conduct a study on workers who receive gratuities and submit a report to the legislature by January, which could result in raising the minimum tipped wage.
If you have any questions regarding the new law or wage and hour laws more generally, our team is available to assist.
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