Cuomo announces $15 an hour minimum wage phase-in for state workers
The Democratic governor is pressing the state Legislature to increase the minimum wage for all workers to $15 an hour under the same timeline. Opponents of raising the wage say it would hurt businesses and result in job losses.
An estimated 200,000 workers in NY will be directly affected by the increase.
Cuomo said the increase would be implemented gradually, with state workers in NY City earning at least 15 dollars an hour beginning in 2019 and those in the rest of the state in July, 2021.
NY Senate’s Republican declined to endorse the $15 minimum wage, saying the issue will be discussed in detail by his conference and predicting “some kind of compromise”.
There will be several rallies scheduled across central Florida for the fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Burger King said that it does not set wages or make other employment-related decisions for the franchisees who own and operate nearly all of its locations.
The move also comes as Cuomo has been publicly feuding with NY City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Los Angeles fast food workers are joining a nationwide “Fight for 15” protest and strike Tuesday calling for a $15 minimum wage and a union.
Hundreds of people are coming together demanding minimum wage be raised to $15 an hour.
NY fast-food cooks, cashiers, child care and home workers went on strike on Tuesday pressing for a more livable wage.
The wage increase was praised by public-sector labor leaders who Cuomo has differed with, and the $15 target will be used as a base in the labor contract negotiations.
Tuesday was also the day minimum wage protests were organized around the country. “These are career jobs now, and that means they have to be taken seriously”, says Mike Araujo, of Rhode Island Jobs with Justice. “That’s something we are going to discuss in great detail in our conference”.
Low-wage workers in the United States are “starting to wake up politically”, according to Yannet Lathrop, a researcher at the pro-union National Employment Law Project (NELP). On their website, the group states: “We work for corporations that are making tremendous profits, but do not pay employees enough to support our families and to cover basic needs like food, health care, rent and transportation”.