Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 4, 2024 7 employers exploiting the apprenticeship program to keep paying them substandard wages." Despite the waiver option, contractors say the red tape is stifling. Tim Schneider, CEO of solar energy company Earthlight Technol- ogies, said his firm has 25 electricians and eight apprentices. "By amending the law, we could employ another 12 apprentices who are currently unable to make a positive career transition towards a better salary to support their families," Schneider said. "We can't continue to ask for waivers to hire new appren- tices, many of which rarely succeed. We need to change this law now and stand with our youth." State Sen. Julie Kushner (D-Dan- bury), co-chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee, noted the legislature last year approved a new law that requires companies to disclose apprenticeship-related data that will help shed more light on the need to change the ratio. The law requires companies to disclose the number of apprentices they have on staff, how many have gone on to complete their full licensing and the number of journeymen on staff. "Some of these trades are very dangerous trades. And workers can get hurt if they don't have the proper supervision, and I know that that is something that concerns us greatly," Kushner said. POLITICS & POLICY $2,200,000 Financing for the construction of a 1MW solar facility Middlesex County, MA $23,000,000 Financing for the construction of three solar facilities totaling 19MW Tioga County, NY $20,000,000 Financing for the construction of four solar facilities totaling 12MW CT and MA Solar financing made Simple. Xiaolei Hua F I R S T V I C E P R E S I D E N T C O M M E R C I A L B A N K I N G Tom Borek A S S I S TA N T V I C E P R E S I D E N T C O M M E R C I A L B A N K I N G bankatpeoples.com/businessteam Member FDIC Unemployment benefits for striking workers is 'labor's priority this session' Democrats recently invited orga- nized labor officials and workers to the Legislative Office Building in Hartford to advocate for a proposal that would give unemployment bene- fits to striking workers. House Bill 5164 would allow striking employees to access unem- ployment benefits after two consec- utive weeks on the picket lines. It's similar to a Democratic proposal that passed in the state Senate last year, but didn't get through the House. Republicans were opposed to the bill last year. The Connecticut Business & Industry Association and National Federation of Independent Business oppose the proposal. The labor committee's co-chairs, state Sen. Julie Kushner and state Rep. Manny Sanchez, expressed confidence the bill would pass this session. Skyler Frazer | HBJ Ambulance companies speak out against proposed Medicaid budget cuts A coalition of medical first responders — including repre- sentatives from American Medical Response, one of the largest ambulance companies operating in the state, and the Association of Connecticut Ambulance Providers — is asking Gov. Ned Lamont and the legislature to maintain the $5 million in additional Medicaid-related funding allocated in this year's state budget. Lamont, in his revised two-year, $26.1 billion budget, cut out a previ- ously approved 20% increase in funding for Medicaid services adminis- tered by first responders, which equaled about $5 million in additional Medicaid reimbursements for this fiscal year. Ambulance providers said the cut could jeopardize the industry's ability to hire and retain staff at a time when they're already experiencing personnel shortages. Bruce Baxter, CEO of New Britain Emergency Medical Services, said EMS providers typically lose between $100 to $200 each time they take care of a Medicaid patient because reimbursements don't cover the cost of care. Skyler Frazer | HBJ Democrats pitch bill expanding paid sick leave to all workers; GOP says it's 'tone deaf' The Labor and Public Employees Committee recently heard testimony on three proposals that would change the state's paid sick leave laws to include all employees in the state. Senate Bills 7 and 12 and House Bill 5166 all relate to expanding the state's paid sick leave law, specifi- cally so that all private sector workers in the state would be eligible for up to 40 hours of paid sick leave depending on how many hours they work. Currently, the state's paid sick leave program only applies to compa- nies with more than 50 workers. A similar proposal died on the House floor in 2023, after passing in the Senate. The proposals would also expand the categories of family members an employee may use paid sick leave to care for, including grandchildren, for example. It would also expand the permitted purposes that an employee may use paid sick leave for, such as coun- seling for a physical or psychological injury or disability. The measures have Democratic support. Republicans are in opposi- tion. Skyler Frazer | HBJ Tim Schneider

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