Rep. Stripp: UTC officials’ remarks reflect state’s anti-business climate

HARTFORD- State Rep. John Stripp (R-Easton, Redding and Weston) today pointed to comments made by officials from United Technologies Corp. as a prime example why state government needs to change its course to allow for an economic recovery.

Speaking to Wall Street analysts, UTC’s chief financial officer said, “Anyplace outside of Connecticut is low-cost……Even if work has to stay in the U.S., there are opportunities to reduce cost by moving out of those high-cost locations,” according to The Hartford Courant.

“Regrettably, years of anti-business, job-killing policies set forth by the supermajority liberals in the Legislature are coming home to roost,” said Rep. Stripp, a member of the Legislature’s Commerce Committee. “We must reverse our path as a state and become a destination for new and relocating-businesses in order to get our economy back on track.”

“Connecticut still has one of the most skilled work forces in the country. We must address the business climate in order to enjoy the advantages of our well-educated, skilled workers. It is going to take more than just hope to restore the 94,000 jobs Connecticut lost during this down economic period. It is going to take a drastic change in state policies to foster a more business-friendly atmosphere,” Rep. Stripp added.

“We do have success stories; look at Blue Sky Animation Studios in Greenwich, the Film Industry Tax credit, which Blue Sky used as their main reason for leaving NY to come to CT. They brought almost 400 high-tech jobs to Connecticut. We can do better if we really try,” concluded Rep. Stripp.

UTC, based in Hartford, has 26,000 of its 205,000 global employees in Connecticut, largely at Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky and Hamilton Sundstrand. UTC is Connecticut’s largest private employer; the State of Connecticut is the largest overall employer.