Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday announced his “Fight for Fair Pay” campaign, a proposal to raise the statewide minimum wage to $10.50 per hour and $11.50 per hour in New York City.
New York state”™s minimum wage is now $8.75 per hour, and there are 594,000 minimum wage workers in the state, according to the statement from the governor’s office. The state enacted legislation in 2012 to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 by the end of this year to “better align with the cost of living across the state.” Cuomo included the increase to $10.50 in his budget proposal announced in January.
“As our economy recovers and our businesses add new jobs, we need to ensure our entire workforce has the opportunity to be part of the economic recovery and new momentum we are seeing in all corners of the state,” Cuomo said in the statement. “New York has always been a leader in protecting our workers and building strong communities, and this year we must continue to move forward by fighting for fair pay and raising the minimum wage statewide.”
Cuomo attended a rally in Buffalo on Tuesday to launch the campaign. Over the next few weeks, he and members of his cabinet will travel across the state in an effort to gain support for the proposal. The governor’s office said business and labor organizations that support the wage increase include the Retail Council of New York State, the Hotel and Motel Trades Council, 1199SEIU (health care workers) and 32BJ SEIU (property service workers).
