ALBANY — In a move aimed at helping the lowest paid workers cope with the rising cost of living, two influential Democrats are building support for a measure that would tie New York’s minimum wage to the consumer price index.
The measure would require the state commissioner of labor to announce upstate wages increase with the rate of inflation once the upstate minimum wage reaches $15 an hour.
The upstate minimum wage is currently $13.20 per hour. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, and has remained at that level since 2009.
“Historically, yearly gains in inflation have decreased the value of the minimum wage, chipping away at workers’ purchasing power and leading to hardship for many,” the bill sponsored by Sen. Jessica Ramos, D-Queens, states.
Those who rely on the minimum wage jobs tend to be women and people of color, “groups which also face significant barriers to employment,” the bill explains.
But a new report from the Empire Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank, contends employers are likely to react to a mandatory increase in New York’s wage floor by trimming their workforce.
“If you’re an employer, to make the math work, you’ve got to have fewer employees,” Peter Warren, the author of the analysis, said in an interview. “You’re going to let go of those employees who are the least skilled and the least educated. So the upshot is the people who are disproportionately impacted are the very people Senator Ramos and others are saying they are...
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