Dive Brief:
- State workers in New York got good news Tuesday when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo gave the green light that will give them a $15 minimum wage by the end of 2021 (2018 for state workers in New York City), according to the New York Times.
- With the news, New York is now the first state to raise the minimum wage bar to $15 for public employees.
- The Times reports that about 10,000 workers — about 6.5% of the state’s permanent and seasonal work force — would see an increase in pay, according to the governor’s office, with the vast majority of those living upstate or outside the city.
Dive Insight:
Massachusetts and Oregon recently agreed to raise minimum wages to $15 for home care workers, who are private employees but often receive public funds, according to the Times, but Cuomo's decision is the first time a governor has increased mandatory hourly pay to at least $15 for employees of a state itself.
Cuomo had originally said $15 was too high, but recently he has changed his views on raising the minimum wage. In July, Cuomo won an increase in the minimum wage for fast-food workers in New York through a state wage board, the Times reports.
