(a) Any employer who pays or agrees to pay to an employee less than the minimum fair wage or overtime wage shall be deemed in violation of the provisions of this part.

(b) The Labor Commissioner shall adopt such regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, as may be appropriate to carry out the purposes of this part. Such regulations may include, but are not limited to, regulations defining and governing an executive, administrative or professional employee and outside salesperson; learners and apprentices, their number, proportion and length of service; and piece rates in relation to time rates; and shall recognize, as part of the minimum fair wage, gratuities in an amount (1) equal to twenty-nine and three-tenths per cent, and effective January 1, 2009, equal to thirty-one per cent of the minimum fair wage per hour, and effective January 1, 2014, equal to thirty-four and six-tenths per cent of the minimum fair wage per hour, and effective January 1, 2015, equal to thirty-six and eight-tenths per cent of the minimum fair wage per hour for persons, other than bartenders, who are employed in the hotel and restaurant industry, including a hotel restaurant, who customarily and regularly receive gratuities, (2) equal to eight and two-tenths per cent, and effective January 1, 2009, equal to eleven per cent of the minimum fair wage per hour, and effective January 1, 2014, equal to fifteen and six-tenths per cent of the minimum fair wage per hour, and effective January 1, 2015, equal to eighteen and one-half per cent of the minimum fair wage per hour for persons employed as bartenders who customarily and regularly receive gratuities, and (3) not to exceed thirty-five cents per hour in any other industry, and shall also recognize deductions and allowances for the value of board, in the amount of eighty-five cents for a full meal and forty-five cents for a light meal, lodging, apparel or other items or services supplied by the employer; and other special conditions or circumstances which may be usual in a particular employer-employee relationship. The commissioner may provide, in such regulations, modifications of the minimum fair wage herein established for learners and apprentices; persons under the age of eighteen years; and for such special cases or classes of cases as the commissioner finds appropriate to prevent curtailment of employment opportunities, avoid undue hardship and safeguard the minimum fair wage herein established. Regulations in effect on July 1, 1973, providing for a board deduction and allowance in an amount differing from that provided in this section shall be construed to be amended consistent with this section.

(c) Regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to subsection (b) of this section which define executive, administrative and professional employees shall be updated not later than October 1, 2000, and every four years thereafter, to specify that such persons shall be compensated on a salary basis at a rate determined by the Labor Commissioner.

(1951, S. 2034d; 1957, P.A. 435, S. 5; 1959, P.A. 683, S. 3; 1961, P.A. 519, S. 3; 1967, P.A. 492, S. 2; 1971, P.A. 616, S. 2; P.A. 73-561, S. 1, 2; 73-616, S. 29, 64, 67; P.A. 80-64, S. 1, 7; P.A. 99-199; P.A. 00-144, S. 2; P.A. 01-42, S. 2, 3; P.A. 02-33, S. 2; P.A. 03-278, S. 91; P.A. 04-68, S. 1; P.A. 08-113, S. 1; P.A. 13-117, S. 2; 13-140, S. 14; P.A. 14-42, S. 5.)

History: 1959 act extended regulatory authority to cover executive, administrative and professional employees, deleted bonuses and special pay from matters subject to regulation and established gratuity rates of $0.35 for restaurant employees and $0.30 for others; 1961 act increased gratuity rates and added “based on the actual cost of food and labor”; 1967 act raised maximum gratuities in Subsec. (b) from $0.40 per hour to $0.47 until July 1, 1968, and $0.50 thereafter for persons employed in hotel and restaurant industry; 1971 act increased gratuities limit to $0.60 per hour; P.A. 73-561 authorized deduction for board “in the amount of eighty-five cents for a full meal and forty-five cents for a full meal” rather than for “reasonable value of board, based on the actual cost of food and labor” in Subsec. (b); P.A. 73-616 amended Subsec. (b) to add provision allowing amendment of regulations without convening a wage board and amended Subsec. (c) to delete provision specifying that regulations take effect upon publication in the Connecticut Law Journal; P.A. 80-64 made recognition of gratuities as part of minimum wage mandatory rather than optional, substituting “shall” for “may”, and changed gratuity limit from $0.60 per hour to 23% of the minimum fair wage; P.A. 99-199 amended Subsec. (b) to delete provisions requiring commissioner to consult with wage board prior to adopting regulations, to require commissioner to adopt regulations in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedure Act and to make gender neutral changes and amended Subsec. (c) to delete provisions specifying procedure for adoption of regulations and to require that regulations defining executive, administrative and professional employees be updated by the commissioner by October 1, 2000, and every four years thereafter; P.A. 00-144 amended Subsec. (b) by making a technical change and adding provisions requiring regulations re the minimum wage for certain hotel and restaurant employees from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2002; P.A. 01-42 amended Subsec. (b) by making a technical change, deleting existing provisions requiring regulations re the minimum wage for certain hotel and restaurant employees from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2002, and adding provision re minimum wage regulation requirements for such employees for the periods from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2001, and January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2002, effective May 31, 2001; P.A. 02-33 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting regulations requirement in effect from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2001, re calculations of the minimum wage for certain hotel and restaurant employees and bartenders, by extending the expiration date of regulations requirement for certain hotel and restaurant employees and bartenders from December 31, 2002, to December 31, 2004, by adding provision re regulations' applicability to hotel and restaurant employees “who customarily and regularly receive gratuities” and by making technical changes, effective July 1, 2002; P.A. 03-278 made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective July 9, 2003; P.A. 04-68 amended Subsec. (b) to permanently increase amount of gratuities recognized as part of minimum fair wage per hour (or “tip credit”) from 23% to 29% for hotel and restaurant workers, excluding bartenders, to establish permanent tip credit of 8.2% for bartenders who customarily and regularly receive gratuities, and to delete identical temporary provisions for both categories of workers which were scheduled to sunset on December 31, 2004, effective January 1, 2005; P.A. 08-113 amended Subsec. (b) to increase amount of gratuities recognized as part of minimum fair wage per hour, effective January 1, 2009, from 29.3% to 31% for hotel and restaurant workers, excluding bartenders, and from 8.2% to 11% for bartenders who customarily and regularly receive gratuities; P.A. 13-117 amended Subsec. (b) to increase amount of gratuities recognized as part of the minimum fair wage per hour from 31% to 34.6%, effective January 1, 2014, and from 34.6% to 36.8%, effective January 1, 2015, for hotel and restaurant workers, excluding bartenders, and from 11% to 15.6%, effective January 1, 2014, and from 15.6% to 18.5%, effective January 1, 2015, for bartenders who customarily and regularly receive gratuities, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 13-140 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting “without the necessity of convening a wage board or amending such regulations” re regulations in effect on July 1, 1973, effective June 18, 2013; P.A. 14-42 made a technical change in Subsec. (b)(2), effective May 28, 2014.

See Sec. 31-58(j) for definition of “minimum fair wage”.

Cited. 140 C. 73. Constitutionality discussed. 142 C. 437. Cited. 219 C. 520; 223 C. 573. 1980 amendment to section did not repeal by implication the Department of Labor's tip credit regulations as applied to restaurant workers, other than waitstaff and bartenders, who regularly and customarily receive gratuities; department did not act arbitrarily, capriciously, or in violation of its statutory authority in determining that such regulations do not apply to restaurant delivery drivers. 325 C. 72.

Limited amount of gratuity allowed for minimum wage. 18 CS 452.