State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on Monday introduced a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage.
Speaking alongside fellow Democrats in Albany, Silver outlined legislation that would raise the state’s minimum from $7.25 to $8.50 an hour.
The increase would take effect in January 2013.
The bill also calls for the rate be adjusted for inflation yearly.
Annual increases are also being pushed for food and service workers, who are paid $5.86 an hour plus tips.
The Republican-led State Senate and many business leaders have long opposed a hike, saying the move would hurt the economy.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has supported raising the minimum wage as has Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The state mandated hourly wage has only increased 10 cents over the last six years.
(Source: NY1)
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One Response
That’s very efficient. The higher minimum wage will result in higher unemployment. The higher unemployment will provide work for the people who hand out welfare and unemployment insurance. It won’t cost anything since they can then raise taxes, forcing more businesses to leave the state, creating even more unemployment, leading to more work for the welfare and unemployment offices.
But on the bright side, many people amazingly don’t like to live off of government handouts (okay, not in our neighborhood, but elsewhere in the state), so they’ll move to states with lower wages but higher employment, and live the dull boring life as a gainfully employed taxpayer (passing up the chance to be a glamorous welfare recipient, or even better, a state worker handing out welfare checks).
It’s all really quite rational. Just ask Andy, Sheldon and Barack.