New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo forged on in his misguided quest to usher in a $15 minimum wage across the state in September, telling the annual meeting of Business Council of New York State he wanted a phased hike matched with business tax cuts.
“If you could raise the minimum wage — bring more New Yorkers into the economy, $15 billion more coming into the economy — phase it in, and have a tax cut program for businesses that’s giving businesses a break that compensates, that could be a real win-win and that’s what we have to think about,” Cuomo said. “Life and politics in this state is about balance. Nobody gets everything they want. And we’re a very diverse state. And our success has been achieving balance.”
According to Capital New York, business leaders gathered gave the governor a standing ovation. But small business owners weren’t present at the meeting. Cuomo’s latest strategy confuses the fiscal nuances between small and big businesses.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll released in September, upstate voters are less enthusiastic than New York City voters about a $15 minimum wage hike—nearly half vs. 77 percent.
While Cuomo used a wage board to increase the minimum wage for fast food workers, he declined to tell reporters whether he would use that approach going forward.
“I support raising the minimum wage for all workers to go to $15,” Cuomo said. “And I’m not going to get into the hypothetical of, ‘Well what if you fail, will you start to pick select groups,’ because my position is everyone should get it.”
