Saud Anwar

Senator Anwar Joins Ticketnetwork Leaders as Company Announces $15 Wages for All Employees

SOUTH WINDSOR – Today, State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) joined TicketNetwork leaders as they announced the company will now pay all employees a minimum of $15 per hour. This initiative, which company leaders said would benefit about 125 employees, comes months after Connecticut lawmakers began the process of raising the statewide minimum age to $15. The minimum wage grew to $11 per hour on October 1 and will increase by an additional $1 every 11 months through 2023.

“All too often, doing the right thing rarely makes the news. We need to celebrate the great things individuals do, and TicketNetwork has done a great thing today,” said Sen. Anwar. “TicketNetwork’s leaders know that an employee receiving fair wages for their work is a more productive and effective employee. The benefits TicketNetwork employees will receive from this pay increase will benefit their families and their daily lives, and that additional financial independence and strength they will benefit from is exactly why my colleagues and I pushed for a minimum wage increase. More than 300,000 people will receive that same empowerment in the coming years. I’m proud of TicketNetwork, not only because it’s a valuable neighbor in the local community, but because today it reaffirmed its dedication to taking care of our fellow neighbors locally and regionally by committing to its workforce.”

“We are thrilled to be in a position to reward our staff for excellent work being done across all of our various departments,” says TicketNetwork CFO Chris Hummer. “While costly on paper, this decision puts TicketNetwork in an excellent position to attract talented early-career workers, as well as retain existing staff who might otherwise be enticed by other opportunities in different markets.”

TicketNetwork’s wage increases impact every employee making less than $19 per hour, which represents an estimated 125 employees at its headquarters, the company said. Employees making under $14 per hour will receive wage increases to $15; those making between $14 and $19 will receive $1 hourly increases. This is expected to cost the company $250,000 additionally per year. TicketNetwork employees who spoke Wednesday said they will be able to access better healthcare, will no longer have to work overtime to save up for important life achievements, and can more readily afford higher education with the higher hourly rates.

In May, legislators approved the first minimum wage increase in Connecticut since 2014. In 2014, the minimum wage was $8.70; in 2019, before October 1, it was $10.10, matching the federal minimum wage. After 2023, the minimum wage will be indexed to changes in the federal Employment Cost Index. About 330,000 workers in Connecticut, roughly one third of the state’s workforce, are expected to benefit from the higher wage.

The press conference took place with a backdrop of cardboard boxes full of clothing, as TicketNetwork also announced Wednesday that its employees voted to eschew a large company holiday party in favor of those funds going toward a clothing drive. The company and workers will donate more than $20,000 to individuals in nine different regional communities.