New York officials increased the minimum wage for all workers across the state as the area celebrated the coming of the new year.
The state's authorities increased workers' minimum salary between 80 cents to a dollar this year. This decision marks the first in a series of gradual increases expected in the next few years.
New York's Minimum Wage
For New York City and some surrounding suburbs, the minimum wage for workers was increased from $15 to $16. On the other hand, for workers in the rest of the state, the minimum wage rose from $14.20 to $15.
Furthermore, officials will continue to raise the minimum wage for workers in the state every year until minimum wage employees earn $17 in New York City and $16 in the rest of the region.
Raising the minimum wage to a specific number is expected to be completed by 2026. Washington has the highest statewide minimum wage across the United States, with $16.28, followed closely by California, with $16, per Fox Business.
Continuous increases to the minimum wage that are meant to keep up with inflation will be tied to fluctuations in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul worked with the New York state legislature on the wage increase plan.
The plan received widespread criticism from business owners, who argued that the increased minimum wage would force some establishments to go under. However, other Democrats to the left of Hochul claimed that the wage increase does not go far enough to help workers across the state.
Authorities urged workers who do not observe an increase reflected in their minimum wages to file a complaint to the Department of Labor via its website or by calling them at (833) 910-4378. A report by the Economic Policy Institute showed that New York is one of 22 states across the country that are getting increases to workers' minimum wages coming into 2024.
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Increasing Salary Every Year
In Connecticut, workers' minimum hourly wage was raised from $15 to $15.69 per hour. The previous rate was implemented back in June 2023. On the other hand, in New Jersey, the statewide wage increase amounted to $1, bringing the rate to $15.13, according to ABC7NY.
Gov. Phil Murphy, Lieutenant Gov. Tahesha Way, Senate President Nicholas Scutari, and Speaker Craig Coughlin released a joint statement on Monday. It talked about the wage bump surpassing $15 where the officials expressed "optimism" for what it could mean for the state's people.
The rise in the minimum wage in New York comes as a new law that takes effect this summer will require Medicaid to cover doula services for people in the state. It would also mandate the region's Department of Health to create and maintain a directory of doulas.
This particular legislation was introduced in response to the nation's rapidly rising infant and maternal mortality rates. This is especially true among low-income and minority communities in the United States, according to the New York Times.
