The start of 2019 meant more workers around the region saw automatic increases to their minimum wages that were built into legislation – and it also meant new governors, like Ned Lamont in Connecticut. In his state of the state address, he addressed the fact that Connecticut’s been at $10.10 for a few years now, and he hopes to change that by moving the state’s minimum up to $15 an hour.
Massachusetts is already moving to a $15 an hour wage over the next few years. Will neighboring Connecticut join them? We asked Mark Pazniokas, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Connecticut Mirror.
And Connecticut might not be the only state whose legislature will look at raising the minimum wage in 2019. Vermont’s minimum wage is already tied to the consumer price index, which means there are yearly incremental changes, and currently stands at $10.78. Bills to raise the wage to $15 an hour have been vetoed by the state’s republican governor, Phil Scott. But this year, the legislature has a strong democratic majority and a chance to override any veto. Bob Kinzel, Senior Political Reporter for VPR joins us to discuss what’s next for Vermont’s minimum wage.
In New Hampshire, lawmakers have also introduced a bill that would raise the minimum to $9.50.