Though the minimum wage is set to increase to $9.00 in New York on December 31st, the pro-wage advocates have never been satisfied. Their efforts coupled with the Governor’s increasing interest in perhaps bolstering his progressive bona fides have recently resulted in two worker specific additional increases.
But now this debate has reached new heights as the Governor is putting enormous political will behind a new and unprecedented push to set New York’s minimum wage at $15.00. Calling the push the “Mario Cuomo Campaign for Economic Justice” and with recent polling indicating more than 60 percent of New Yorkers back the push, it is a certainty that we will see the fill political strength of the Governor.
Consider a few facts as you think about your business and the impact this could have on New York’s economy.
First, the highest minimum wage currently in the United States is in Washington D.C. at $10.50. By 2018, through indexing or current law, eight states will have a minimum wage of $10.00 or more with the highest being $11.50.
Second, consider a starting minimum salary of $31,200 for a forty hour work week regardless of education, skills or training and not including benefits. That is what the minimum standard would be in New York.
Looking further, recent analysis of median hourly wages for full or part-time employees regionally in New York would show that a $15 minimum wage will be slightly lower than upstate New York’s median wage. Can small business and the fragile upstate economy handle the significant uptick in median wages this proposal would cause?
We need you to stand up for your business and tell your story about how this will directly impact your business and employees.
Email me at [email protected] and lend your voice to our fight. This will not be defeated without the direct input of small business owners like you. So please, consider helping us fight for you.
