Susan Johnson

Governor Ned Lamont and Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz joined my weekly public affairs show, “Let’s Talk About It,” to break down the importance of bumping up the minimum wage in our state. This has tremendous significance in Windham since there are many minimum wage workers here.

Effective January 1, 2024, the state's minimum wage of $15 will increase to $15.69 as part of its first-ever economic indicator adjustment. The U.S. Department of Labor calculates the employment cost index for the 12-month period ending on June 30 of the preceding year.

Gov. Lamont and Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz discuss benefits of raising the raising the minimum wage in Windham.

Governor Lamont believes raising the minimum wage as well as the Earned Income Tax Credit will support working class families. Windham residents applied for those benefits, which helps pay for child care, car repair, groceries, housing, and much more. Families are pumping those funds into the local economy, which helps the entire community.

Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz equated the economic indicator adjustment for the minimum wage as a cost of living adjustment for families. She said that 10% of the state’s workforce, or 163,000 people, work a minimum wage job. 61% are women, and 49% are people of color.

The Center for American progress estimates that 114,000 children in our state live in households where one adult is making minimum wage. This means around 20% of children in public schools are directly affected by raising the minimum wage.

We also talked about other ways we are making the state more affordable such as debt-free community college, the upcoming income tax cut, and baby bonds.

This increase in the minimum wage was made possible thanks to legislation passed in 2019, which implemented five incremental increases in the minimum wage between 2019 and 2023, followed by future adjustments that are tied to the percentage change in the federal employment cost index.

No one should be forced to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. I stand in strong support of this pay adjustment and the workers who will benefit from it.