On September 30, 2022, Commissioner Reardon announced a phased in minimum wage increase. The minimum wage varies by region, and in 2016, New York instituted a tiered schedule of minimum wage increases to raise the wage to $15 an hour across the state.

New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County reached $15 per hour at the end of 2021, and on December 31, 2022, the minimum wage will rise $1.00, (7.5%), from $13.20 to $14.20 in areas outside New York City, Long Island and Westchester County

The order is subject to a rulemaking process, and public comment period before a final decision is made. NFIB will be issuing comments in opposition to this increase. To comment, e-mail regulations@labor.ny.gov by December 11, 2022.

NFIB also immediately denounced the decision to increase the upstate minimum wage 7.5%. Ashley Ranslow, NFIB’s New York State Director, released the following statement:

“Today’s announcement by the New York State Department of Labor to increase the Upstate minimum wage by 7.5 percent at the end of this year clearly demonstrates how out of touch Albany is with the challenges that continue to plague Main Street. Small businesses are battling unrelenting 40-year high inflation, supply chain issues, escalating energy prices, and astronomical state Unemployment Insurance taxes that were completely avoidable if the state had addressed the UI crisis. New York’s economy has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, with fewer jobs now than there were at the beginning of 2020 and the state Unemployment rate higher than the national average. All of this is happening while consumers are pulling back on spending and the economy teeters on edge. Increasing the Upstate minimum wage from $13.20 to $14.20 is going to put further financial pressure and strain on hard-working small business owners who continue to hang on by a thread. New York State should be providing financial relief to small, independent businesses, instead, the state continues to saddle Main Street with higher costs and mandates, further bolstering its reputation as one of the worst states to do business in.”