Minimum wage needs to be raised

Legislators and supporters in favor of raising the minimum wage in New York State are pushing the measure amid rising costs, a tight labor market and recognition of workers’ contribution towards the end of summer. increase.

The Raise Up NY Coalition at this weekend’s New York City Labor Day Parade sought to revive a successful campaign just a few years ago to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15. Proponents of higher wages point to rising costs of living that squeeze workers out of the profits made from their efforts.

“Minimum wages are, in essence, intended to cover the necessities. , and a business owner who knows that when we all do better, we all do better. Raising wages is popular, it’s necessary, and there’s no better time than Labor Day to commit to building an economy that works for all of us.”

Business organizations are likely to oppose raising the state’s minimum wage, noting that it would make it more expensive to do business in New York and that inflation would create additional price pressure. However, in recent years, wage workers have also moved in. Workers at Starbucks and Amazon have successfully unionized, and some employers have voluntarily raised the hourly minimum wage in response to worker shortages.

of SpecificationA bill backed by Ramos and Congressman LaToya Joyner would set the state’s minimum wage at the rate of inflation. Counties north of the New York City metropolitan area will reach $15 by the end of 2023, after which the minimum wage will be inflation-linked.

The measure is being pushed after state legislators, and then the government. Andrew Cuomo agreed in 2016 to gradually increase the minimum wage in each region of the state over several years. The current minimum wage is $15 in New York City, Westchester County, Rockland County, and Long Island. $13.20 elsewhere in the state.

“Raising the minimum wage is a moral imperative,” said Maritza Silva Farrell, Executive Director of ALIGN. “The cost of living in New York continues to rise, but wages have stagnated since 2018. $15 an hour is not enough. Workers deserve a living wage that can meet their rising basic needs. To do.”