ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A deal to raise minimum wages in New York would keep the state near the top of the list of places with the highest base pay for low-paid workers, but the raise amount is disappointing some labor activists who had hoped for a bigger bump.
The minimum hourly wage would rise to $17 in New York City and some of its suburbs and $16 in the rest of the state by 2026 under an agreement between Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders. That's an increase from the current rate of $15 in the city and $14.20 upstate.
Future increases would then be tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, a measurement of inflation.
Under the agreement announced late Thursday, New Yorkers would be guaranteed an hourly wage well above the federal minimum of $7.25. They would still earn less than workers in California, Washington and Hawaii, which will all most likely have minimum wages of $18 or higher by 2028, according to the National Employment Law Project.
Achieving any pay raise counts as a victory for labor. It came over the objections of some employers who said companies struggling to control costs could be hurt by having to pay workers more.
The pay increase was dissatisfying to some liberal Democrats who had argued that high inflation in recent years was making it harder than ever for workers to keep up without a pay rise.
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