Eddie A. Perez
Mayor
COURT ISSUES RULING IN FAVOR OF CITY
REGARDING LIVING WAGE DISPUTE
---NEWS RELEASE---
On Tuesday, Middletown Superior Court Judge Robert Beach issued a ruling in favor of the City of Hartford in its litigation against the Waterford Group. Judge Beach denied a motion by Waterford, the owners and operators of the Marriott Hotel at Adriaen’s landing, to dismiss the suit brought by the City of Hartford to enforce the City’s Living Wage Ordinance at the Marriott Hotel. According to city ordinance, any private developer that receives significant financial support from the City must adhere to the City’s Living Wage Ordinance. The ordinance provides in part that such developer should pay wages that allow workers to afford healthcare coverage and allow for a non-disruptive process for determining whether or not workers wish to join a labor union. Waterford argued to the court that the city’s case should be dismissed because federal law preempted the City’s Living Wage Ordinance. The city believes that in exchange for approximately $30 million in aid, developers should follow the law and adhere to the Living Wage Ordinance.
“The court’s ruling in favor of the city is an important next step in bringing the Waterford Group into compliance with the law. The people of Hartford have the right to expect that developers who receive millions of dollars in public aid should adhere to our Living Wage Ordinance and provide the mandated benefits to workers. That being said, I believe there is still ample opportunity for the Waterford Group to voluntarily come into compliance with the law and prevent any further labor disruptions at the Marriott Hotel. I think the court’s ruling could provide a new incentive for CCEDA, as the state agency responsible for Adriaen’s landing, to actively work to resolve all outstanding labor issues at the hotel and convention center. It is time for people to get back to the table,” Mayor Perez stated.