Beginning Jan. 1, the minimum hourly wage on Long Island, New York City and Westchester is set to increase to $16 an hour.
That increase is aimed at keeping pace with inflation, according to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“On Jan. 1, we are lifting New York’s minimum wage to help hard-working New Yorkers keep up with rising costs and continue supporting their families,” Hochul said in a statement. “If you are a minimum wage worker and you don’t see this increase in your paycheck next year, I urge you to file a wage complaint with the Department of Labor to make sure that you are getting the wage increase you deserve.
Elsewhere in New York, the increase is set for $15 an hour. The increases are expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of minimum wage earners across the state.
Organizations supporting the wage increase include the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce and the New York Business for a Fair Minimum Wage Coalition.
“Small businesses thrive when the people who are our customers have more money to spend. Low wages, on the other hand, lead to high employee turnover, which is costly for businesses in recruiting and training new workers, undermines customer service and product quality, and hurts sales,” said Phil Andrews, president of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, in a written statement.
“Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the New York City Comptroller’s Office, among others, have found that previous New York minimum wage increases raised pay without hurting employment,” he added. “Raising and then indexing the minimum wage to the cost of living will help us build a more resilient, more dynamic economy.”
As part of the fiscal budget for 2024, an agreement was secured to increase minimum wage through 2026 and index it to inflation beginning in 2027. After the initial increase, the minimum wage will increase by $0.50 in 2025 and 2026. In 2027, the minimum wage will increase annually at a rate determined by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for the Northeast Region, a measure for inflation.
The agreement, when reached, had come as a victory for labor, but over the objections of some employers who said companies struggling to control costs could be hurt by having to pay workers more.
Opponents of the wage increase have also said they aren’t supportive of the agreement, saying it can be detrimental to small businesses that already took major hits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, the state’s Department of Labor is launching a public awareness campaign – through social media, newsletters and emails – to remind New Yorkers about the increase. Minimum-wage workers are also encouraged to report any missing wages.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Adina Genn
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