Late last month, Connecticut’s Gov. Ned Lamont announced that the minimum wage will increase 66 cents next year, sparking questions on the efficacy of an increase on the state’s cost of living crisis.

Tyson Odermann & Nicolas Ciminiello

11:55 pm, Oct 10, 2024

Staff Reporter & Contributing Reporter

Christina Lee, Photography Editor

Come next year, the minimum wage in Connecticut is set to increase by 66 cents — or from an hourly wage of $15.69 to $16.25.

The planned increase comes from a 2019 state bill. The law requires the minimum wage to be adjusted each year based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s employment cost index calculation. The state’s minimum wage has increased every year since 2019.

“This is a fair, modest adjustment for workers who will invest their earnings right back into our economy and support local businesses in their communities,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a press release.

For the approximately 170,000 minimum wage laborers in Connecticut, the 4.2 percent increase would result in an extra $26.40 a week— summing about $1,400 annually — for laborers working 40 hours a week. 

A city official and Yale student worker who spoke with the News celebrated the increase. But a local business owner expressed skepticism about the positive effects of the increase.  

Michael Piscitelli, the economic development administrator of New Haven, said he was optimistic about the minimum wage increase in an email to the News.

“The increase to the State’s minimum wage rate is an important step forward, supporting our residents who have bolstered the City’s economic growth over many years,” Piscitelli wrote.

George Koutroumanis, owner of Yorkside Pizza, a family-owned restaurant located on Yale’s campus, shared concerns about price increases, however. 

Regardless, Koutroumanis emphasized that the rise in minimum wage would not affect his hiring process. 

“People will make more money, that’s good. Maybe they’ll spend more money, that’s good,” Koutroumanis said. “But on the other hand, everything that they buy will cost more money.”

Despite the increase, Connecticut remains one of the costliest states to live in according to the Cost of Living Index, which ranks it 13th most expensive. It remains unclear if the rise in minimum wage will help laborers adjust to a high cost of living. 

Piscitelli noted that Connecticut still has “a long way to go” to reach a living wage relative to the cost of living. 

“You know the way the economy is today, there is no livable wage,” Koutroumanis added. “You’re making more money, but losing value.”

Meanwhile, student worker Nik Alderson ’27 expressed excitement about the increase. 

“I’m very happy. I think this will increase my disposable income by quite a lot. It’ll definitely improve my standard of living,” Alderson said.

The Koutroumanis family has owned Yorkside Pizza and Restaurant since 1969.