nothin Minimum Wage Hike Stalls | New Haven Independent

Minimum Wage Hike Stalls

Lucy Gellman Photo

Porter and Gomes (center) at the hearing.

Hartford— The quest to raise Connecticut’s hourly minimum wage gradually from $10.10 to $15 by 2022 stalled Tuesday, as one of two versions of the proposal was killed in legislative committee. 

The state legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee voted on two versions of the proposal, one for the State Senate, the other for the House of Representatives.

Originally scheduled for noon, the vote was pushed back two hours after both Republicans and Democrats on the committee requested extra time to caucus on the bills.

After reconvening, the 13 members of the committee split their votes along party lines.

Sen. Craig Miner requested a split vote” — meaning that only the committee’s four senators, who are evenly split along party lines, would vote on the Senate version of the proposal. GOP Sens.Miner and Michael McLachlan voted against the measure; Democratic Sens. Ed Gomes and Catherine Osten voted for it. With a tied vote, the proposed bill died in committee rather than advance to the Senate floor.

Miner represents Brookfield, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, and Winchester; McLachlan represents Danbury and New Fairfield. Gomes represents Bridgeport and Stratford; Osten represents Columbia, Franklin, and Hebron.

The House version of the bill did make it out of committee. Motioning to give the bill a joint favorable report—meaning members of the committee vote together — members of the committee voted again on party lines. And Democrats outnumber Republicans. Voting against the bill were Reps. Mike Bocchino and Kurt Vail of Greenwich, Richard Smith of Danbury and New Fairfield, David Rutigliano of Trumbull and Sens. Miner and McLachlan. Voting for it were Reps. Al Paolillo and Robyn Porter of New Haven, Christopher Rosario of Bridgeport, Robert Sanchez of New Britain, Edwin Vargas of Hartford, and Sens. Gomes and Osten. The bill will now move forward to the House, and then the Senate if it receives a favorable vote.

The death of the Senate version makes it unlikely that the minimum wage hike will pass this session. The vote drew a rebuke from State Senate President Martin Looney of New Haven.

Today, we learned that the detached and divided public spirit of President Donald Trump is alive and well right here in Connecticut, as the Connecticut Senate Republicans’ first official act under our new, bipartisan power-sharing agreement was to turn their backs on some of the hardest working and most needy people of Connecticut by dividing the Labor and Public Employees Committee to block the Senate version of the minimum wage bill. Fortunately, the House version was adopted on a party-line vote with all Democrats in support and all Republicans opposed,” Looney, a Democrat, stated in a release issued after the vote. Thousands upon thousands of Connecticut families work minimum wage jobs. For parents trying to make ends meet, for the blue collar workers hanging sheetrock or changing your oil, for single moms working two or three jobs to provide the basic necessities for their children, there may be no more important and pressing issue than earning a fair, adequate and more livable’ hourly wage. A sufficient minimum wage for the working people of Connecticut is not some sort of luxury — it is an absolute necessity,” Looney continued.

Vargas, left, addresses the Senate.

Before votes on both proposed bills, Republican committee members expressed concern — as they did in last week’s public hearing—that a raise in the minimum wage would spell disaster for both small and large businesses in the state.

The minimum wage is not a fix-all, end-all. We understand that,” said McLachlan, who said a raise could harm small businesses and not-for-profits. We have to come to the reality that Connecticut is an economic disaster. We have to stop pushing out our businesses.”

What happens to the [people at] level two, three, four in jobs?” he continued, asking if committee members supporting the bill had considered the ramifications of a raise in the minimum wage on jobs that pay more. You’re talking about a 50 percent increase … foisting upon small businesses an expectation to increase payroll. Stop sending a shot across the bough of businesses in Connecticut.”

Smith, who represents Danbury, agreed. The ones who are hurt most by these [bills] are the local guys,” he said. Ten people and under. It’s the hardware stores and the local grocer. The other small businesses — they’re leaving.”

People are leaving Connecticut because of policies that are coming out of this legislature” he added. Everybody knows that this is not a living wage. But this is not how we get people out of poverty.”

Vargas disagreed vehemently. He argued that a minimum wage increase would keep small businesses — and large ones — in the state by rebuilding the middle class. He said he sees big corporations like one big vacuum cleaner sucking income out of Connecticut,” Vargas argued.

Today, you would need $17 an hour to match the 1981 minimum wage,” he said. You cannot continue to depress salaries — most people who think of themselves as middle class are now becoming the working poor. I don’t believe anyone is going to leave the state. Wealthy people would just be treading water … and this will rebuild the middle class.”

Addressing his Republican colleagues, he continued. If Wal-Mart leaves, so be it!” he said. It would be a boon to the small businesses we say we care about.”

Following is a status report on bills of particular interest to New Haven before the state legislature this session:

The 2017 Agenda

Bill #StatusSummarySponsors
SB11/ HB5539Committee DeniedWould legalize, tax recreational use of marijuana.Candelaria
Dillon
Lemar
Walker
Porter
et al
SB 17Committee ApprovedWould make certain undocumented immigrant students (DREAMers) eligible for state college financial aid.Looney
HB 5434Committee ApprovedWould have CT join with other states to elect the President based on popular, rather than Electoral College, vote.Winfield,
Porter
Albis
Elliott
D’Agostino
et al.
HB 5458, HB 6058Committee ApprovedWould establish electronic tolls on state highways.Genga
HB 5575/HB 7126Passed SenateWould regulate companies such as Uber and Lyft.Scanlon
HB 5589Passed HouseWould expand disclosure requirements for contributions to campaign funds.Dillon
Lemar
D’Agostino
Elliott
et al.
HB 5591Passed HouseWould require equal pay for employees doing comparable work.Dillon
Walker
Lemar
Albis
D’Agostino
Elliott
et al.
HB 5703Committee DeniedWould have CT enter into an agreement with other states to limit poaching” of each other’s businesses.Lemar
HJ 13/HJr 95Passed HouseWould amend the state constitution to permit early voting.Lemar
HJ 16In CommiteeWould amend the state constitution to permit absentee voting for all voters.Lemar
SB 1/HB 6212Committee ApprovedWould require employers to provide paid family and medical leave for their employees.Looney
SB 2Committee ApprovedWould make the education funding formula more equitable.Duff
SB 8Committee DeniedWould allow municipalities to adopt a 0.5% sales tax.Looney
SB 10/HB 5743Passed SenateWould strengthen hate crime laws.Winfield
SB 13/HB 6208/HB 6456Committee ApprovedWould increase the minimum wage.Looney
Winfield
et al.
Albis
Candelaria
D’Agostino
Elliott
Lemar
Paolillo
Porter
Walker
SB 137Committee DeniedWould expand birth-to-three and provide universal pre-school, among other things.Gerratana
SJ 5/HJ 1Passed HouseWould amend the state constitution to create a lock-box” for transportation funding.Duff
HB 5588Committee DeniedWould limit certain bond allocations.Dillon
Lemar
Albis
Walker
Elliott
et al.
HB 5912HB 6127Committee DeniedWould establish a 1‑cent/ounce tax on sugared beverages.Lemar
Elliott
et al.
HB 6554Committee DeniedWould tax carried interest as ordinary income.Porter
Albis
Lemar
Elliott
Winfield
Candelaria
Dillon
D’Agostino
et al.
HB 5831Committee DeniedWould provide bonding for transitional housing for NH female ex- offenders.Porter
Candelaria
Lemar
Winfield
Looney
Paolillo
SB 631Committee DeniedWould provide bonding to make structural improvements to the Shubert Theatre.Winfield
Looney
Walker
Porter
Lemar
Candelaria
Paolillo
HB 6863Committee DeniedWould authorize bonds for renovating the Barbell Club as a youth/ community center.Canelaria
Porter
Paolillo
Lemar
Winfield
SB 649Committee ApprovedWould allow local building officials to impose fines for building w/o a permit.Looney
Winfield
Walker
Candelaria
Lemar
Porter
Paolillo
Et al.
SB 590/591Committee DeniedWould limit police ccoperation w/Immigration and Customs Enforcement (590); establish an immigrant’s bill of rightsWinfield
SB 20Committee DeniedWould require affordability to be considered in reviewing proposed health insurance rate hikes.Looney
HB 6352Committee ApprovedWould establish a deposit system for car tires.Ritter
Gresko
McCrory
HB 6901Committee DeniedWould impose a surtax on large employers that pay an average wage less than $15/hour.Elliott
HB 7278Passed SenateWould convey various parcels to New Haven, among other things.Gov’t Administration and Elections

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