Cuomo eyes tax cuts with minimum-wage hike

It’s a major victory for the movement, and Cuomo added to its potential by promising to try and persuade Albany lawmakers to extend the $15 an hour minimum wage to workers statewide. Briccetti said her group plans to endorse the Republican, Fred Akshar, in the special State Senate race in the Southern Tier.

In an address to business leaders, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended his call for a higher minimum wage, saying he is also seeking lower business taxes and other efforts to help companies.

The poll released Friday by Quinnipiac (KWIHN’-ih-pee-ak) University found 62 percent of voters supporting a phased-in increase.

“Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will bring fairness to 2.2 million working New Yorkers”.

Now the state minimum wage is $8.75 an hour.

Mario Cuomo was a fighter for workers’ rights before, during and following his three terms as Governor of New York State. In New York City, the proposal requires that wage to attain its goal by the top of 2018.

The current minimum wage is $8.75 an hour and is set to increase to $9 an hour on December 31.

John Santos, the Hudson Valley district director and vice president of 32BJ Service Employees worldwide Union, said an increase like the one proposed by Cuomo could make a big difference for its members.

“Today we’re putting our steps together to form a march toward economic justice”, Cuomo said. “His reversal is for purely political reasons and his concern for a primary challenge from his left, despite the consequences that it will drive even more residents and small businesses out of New York”. Cuomo said combining the two measures would hopefully win support from backers of a $15 wage and opponents, including Republicans who control the state Senate.

“How many more people or jobs need to leave New York before the governor wakes up?”