Fast food employees call for better wages during a 2013 rally. (image from http://www.sanders.senate.gov)
ALBANY – The minimum wage for fast food workers could soon be going up to $15 an hour.
That after a state wage board – chaired by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown – unanimously recommended the increase on Wednesday.
Under the recommendation, New York City workers will be the first to benefit, with the increase due to be in place by the end of 2018. Fast food workers in the rest of the state will have to wait until 2021 for the rise. The hike would only impact employees at restaurant chains with 30 or more units.
The move is expected to affect around 180,000 workers which are employed in the fast food industry in New York State.
The state minimum wage is currently $8.75
The panel’s recommendation must now be approved by the state labor commissioner Peter Rivera, marking the last significant hurdle before it becomes mandatory.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said the minimum wage hike marked one of the really great days of his administration. And New York mayor Bill de Blasio said he would now push for every worker in the city, not just fast food staff, to get a higher salary.
Restaurant owners warned that the increase would force them to either reduce their staff numbers or increase menu prices. An attorney hired by a group of franchise owners said the group was looking into whether the decision could be challenged in court.
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