FLUSHING, NY – State Senator Toby Stavisky today joined with members of the Senate Democratic Conference to call for immediate action to raise the New York State minimum wage and index future increases to the rate of inflation.
“For too long over 1.1 million hard working New Yorkers have been unable to break the cycle of poverty despite having full-time jobs. The state’s minimum wage is too low and our neighbors are the ones suffering from continued inaction," said Senator Stavisky. “Poll after poll has demonstrated that the overwhelming majority of New York residents support raising the minimum wage, and I call on my colleagues in government to join with me and the Senate Democratic Conference to achieve this vital reform.”
The legislation supported by the Democratic Conference would not only increase the minimum wage to $9.00 an hour, but would also index future increases with the rate of inflation. This legislation will ensure that New Yorkers earning the minimum wage never again incur de facto pay cuts due to stagnant wages and increased costs of living.
“Providing minimum wage earners with greater compensation for their hard work will help stimulate local economic growth throughout the state and lead to the creation of thousands of jobs. Living on less than $16,000 a year simply is impossible. Raising the minimum wage and indexing it to the rate of inflation is not only the right thing to do, it is the right economic thing to do," Senator Stavisky concluded.
