In an editorial, “Go slow in boosting the minimum wage” (March 19), The Day recognizes Connecticut must increase the minimum wage to $15 and index to CPI thereafter but gets it wrong on the “training wage” scam and timeline. 

I’m a supervisor at a locally owned grocery store with 45 employees. When I hire a seasonal worker, they’re expected to work just as hard as year-round employees. Why should I be allowed to pay them 75 percent of the minimum wage for 90 days of equal work? Many of these workers are trying to support their families like anybody else. A tiered minimum wage would deepen divides I try to unify in the workplace. 

If we can pay some workers less, why not hire them over a more expensive adult? As more workers look to supplement income with part-time work, this is particularly problematic. 

The living wage for a family of two working parents and two children is $17.49 in the New London-Norwich region. If $15 can’t suffice a family of four today, then why are we arguing how long we take to get there? Let’s get there quickly. When we do, families can make that extra trip to the local grocery store and uplift local businesses, too.

James Burke

New London