New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a push to make New York the first state in the nation to adopt a $15.00 per hour minimum wage. Governor Cuomo was joined by Vice President Joseph Biden when he made the announcement at the Javits Center in New York City. This announcement comes on the same day that Acting State Labor Commissioner Mario J. Musolino signed an order designating a $15.00 per hour statewide minimum wage for fast food workers – the level recommended by a State Department of Labor wage board earlier this summer. The Governor’s proposed all-industry minimum wage increase should be phased in to mirror the fast food wage order, taking full effect by December 31, 2018 in New York City and July 1, 2021 for the rest of New York State.
“If you work full time, you shouldn’t have to live in poverty – plain and simple,” said Governor Cuomo. “Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will add fairness to our economy and bring dignity and respect to 2.2 million people, many of whom have been forced to live in poverty for too long.”
In 2013, the Governor signed legislation that raised the minimum wage from $7.25 to its current level of $8.75. That legislation included another incremental increase to $9.00 that will take effect by the end of 2015.
