New York is known to have a sense of fast-paced and expensive lifestyles. Every year, low income employees worry how they will be able to earn their bread and eat it too. To address this concern, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that by 2018, 10,000 state employees will have an hourly wage of $15, for the next six years.
Back in June - July 2015, news reports spurred interest from multiple low-income employees when fast food chain workers complained that they are not being paid well. Wage protests have occurred in the state and Democratic Governor Cuomo listened.
"You cannot live and support a family on $18,000 a year in the state of New York", Cuomo said at a rally celebrating the approved proposal in Manhattan. He adds that this is just the first of many wage increases that he is seeing for the low income sector.
Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles have also joined in, on the gradual increase to $15 an hour. The low-wage earner comprises a large portion of the work force in New York considering that the majority of employees belong to fast food chains.
Currently, New York's minimum wage is $8.75 per hour. It will rise to $9 by the end of the year.
Cuomo's office has released information that the increase will initially affect 1,000 office assistants, custodial workers and lifeguards in New York City. Their hourly wage will increase to $15 by 2018. Another 9,000 employees upstate will see wage rise to that same level in the next three years.This is Cuomo's democratic move to ensure a set basic minimum of $15.
A state wage board has recently agreed to the increase for fast-food chain employees in annual increments until it reaches $15 by the end of 2018, in New York City, as posted in NBC New York.
