New Britain, CT (October 26, 2023) – Stop & Shop today announced a $133,000 donation to the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system to aid in the creation and expansion of on-campus school food pantries.
New Britain, CT (October 26, 2023) – Stop & Shop today announced a $133,000 donation to the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system to aid in the creation and expansion of on-campus school food pantries.
Connecticut’s minimum wage will rise to $15.69 in January under the first annual adjustment required by a 2019 law tying the wage to the employment cost index.
The automatic 4.6% increase is dictated by a U.S. Bureau of Labor metric used to measure hourly labor costs.
“This is a big deal, it will make a difference,” Gov. Ned Lamont said during a press conference at Windham Town Hall.
Lawmakers voted to gradually increase the minimum wage from $10.10 in 2019 to $15 as of June, but they also approved increasing the rate every year based on the ECI.
Ed Hawthorne, president of Connecticut AFL-CIO, praised lawmakers and Lamont for changing the law so minimum wage increases no longer need regular votes by the legislature.
“It always looks good when you’re hitting doors and you’ve got it on the card ‘I voted to pass the minimum,’ but the real vision that everyone here showed to do the right thing rather than the political thing cannot be left unsaid,” he said.
The announcement comes less than a week after the U.S. Labor Bureau reported that the Consumer Price Index was at 3.7% on an annual basis in August.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiwiecz estimated that 10% of Connecticut’s workforce will benefit from the increase. She also cited a Center for American Progress report estimating 114,000 children statewide live in households with a parent making at or below minimum wage.
“A lot of people think that the minimum wage is something that teenagers make, but no, there are so many adults out there in our state that are trying to support their families,” she said.
Officials in Windham celebrated the announcement. Town Manager Thomas DeVivo said the rural community ranks 168th, out of 169 towns, in terms of having the lowest wage earners.
“This will help people pay their rent, this will help people keep on top of it so they don’t end up in homelessness or other issues,” he said.
Connecticut Business and Industry Association Vice President of Public Policy Eric Gjede said the increase will hurt businesses, though, especially since the it will come six months after the minimum wage rose from $14 to $15.
Still, he said most employers are already paying above $15.69.
“We are struggling in just finding employees, so our businesses are forced to pay even higher wages and provide even more benefits,” he said.
Some speakers, including Lamont and Hawthorne, touted that the indexed increases give businesses predictability. Gjede disagreed.
“I don’t know that it is going to provide predictability other than knowing that it’s going up, but of course we don’t know by how much until they make this announcement every year,” he said.
Lamont said the increase, coupled with other measures by the state, will help working families. That, in turn, is good for the economy, he said.
Lamont pointed to the current budget, which cut in the income tax and raised the Earned Income Tax Credit, as measures that help lower income families.
He also said the state has other programs to help, including workforce development programs and expanded support for childcare. When asked about restoring the Child Tax Credit Monday, Lamont focused on those other programs and benefits.
“I think there are a lot of ways we’re making life a little more affordable for people, and I think that’s the way we should go,” he said.
Original article found at CT News Junkie.
After several failed attempts, a new push to explore a city-owned grocery store aims to someday bring fresh produce to a food desert in Hartford.
“Getting a full-service grocery store in the North End has been a challenge for literally our whole lives,” councilman Josh Michtom said. “I think it’s a very common sense idea to at least study its feasibility and get some parameters around it.”
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Big Y Foods Inc. is growing its convenience store footprint in Connecticut. The supermarket chain opened its 15th and 16th Big Y Express fuel and c-stores, located at 50 Main Street in Somers, Conn., and 241 Hazard Ave. in Enfield, Conn.
The new sites bring the total number of Big Y Express locations in the Nutmeg State to six, reported Convenience Store News sister publication Progressive Grocer.
Environmental advocates came to the defense of contested new emissions regulations during a Tuesday public hearing on a Connecticut proposal that would phase out the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection held a virtual hearing for public input on proposed regulations.
Were you a math kid or a reading kid? Right brain or left?
A day after passing a budget with overwhelming bipartisan support, the Connecticut legislature concluded its 2023 session Wednesday with the steady passage of bills in the House and a day-long filibuster by Republicans in the Senate.
CTown Supermarkets has opened a new location in New Haven, Conn., under the collaborative banner The Meat King by CTown. Located at 664 Grand Avenue in New Haven, the more than 16,000-square-foot supermarket is already open, but the store will host its official grand opening on Saturday, June 10, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.
That said, the CPI for other food products remained elevated. Cereals and bakery rose 0.6% in the same time frame, while the nonalcoholic beverage category ticked up 0.2%. The index for the “other food at home” category edged 0.4% higher.