New York – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called on Wednesday for raising the state’s minimum wage by nearly 21 percent, to $8.75 an hour.
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“It is long overdue,” Cuomo said during his State of the State address. “We should have done it last year.”
New York’s current rate of $7.25 an hour is below that of 19 other states, he said. On January 1, 10 U.S. states increased their minimum wage rates by between 10 and 35 percent.
Lawmakers in neighboring New Jersey passed bills late in 2012 to ask voters whether the state ought to hike the minimum wage to $8.25 per hour from the current $7.25.
But the legislators must approve the measure again this year before it goes on the ballot.
What a terrible idea. How do you increase it by 21%. Studies have shown the more minimum wage gets increased the higher the unemployment rate among low wage employees goes up.
“I was going to hire to do some light cleaning and maintenance to my property but if the minimum wage goes up I’ll consider doing it myself or hire an illegal (undocumented citizen, for the Libs. ).”
That’s what thousands of home and business owners think to themselves and that’s what’s going to happen if the minimum wage goes up. At the end of the day, those willing to be honest working individuals, will lose out.