Mayoral frontrunner Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday rolled out a proposal to boost New York Metropolis’s minimal hourly wage to $20, however the plan would wish Albany’s backing, partly as a result of he as governor blocked an effort to let town set its personal wage requirements.
Underneath Cuomo’s plan, the minimal wage would soar to $20 from its present $16.50 stage on Jan. 1, 2027, the one-year mark of his first mayoral time period, ought to he be elected. Such a wage bump would affect some 800,000 staff, in accordance with Cuomo’s marketing campaign.
Unveiling the proposal at a rally on the Manhattan headquarters of 1199 SEIU, a healthcare union supporting his marketing campaign, Cuomo acknowledged town’s affordability disaster has emerged as maybe essentially the most urgent challenge on this yr’s mayoral race. “The best way” to deal with the disaster, he mentioned, is to spice up wages for low-income New Yorkers.
“That will put more money in people’s pockets,” mentioned Cuomo, who’s polling as the favourite to win the June 24 Democratic mayoral main.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks throughout a marketing campaign press convention and rally asserting his help for a $20 hourly minimal wage on Wednesday, Could 28, 2025, in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams / New York Every day Information)
A minimal wage enhance wouldn’t be so simple as a flick of a swap.
Wage necessities are set by the state, which means Gov. Hochul and the state Legislature would wish to approve any minimum-level improve.
Hochul and state lawmakers have already enacted a plan whereby town’s minimal wage ticks up every year at a fee decided by client value indexes.
It’s unclear if Hochul and legislators can be open to backing a proposal for a extra rapid soar to $20. A Hochul spokesman didn’t return a request for remark.
As governor in 2014, Cuomo blocked a proposal from then-Mayor Invoice de Blasio that may have empowered town to set its personal wage ground.
in 2016, Cuomo pushed by a rise to New York’s minimal wage legislation anyway, elevating it to $15 for many staff, a feat he continuously touts as one in every of his greatest accomplishments as governor earlier than he resigned in 2021 amid sexual misconduct accusations he denies.
Had he let the de Blasio proposal move in 2014, Cuomo would have had a a lot simpler time to additional increase town’s minimal wage as mayor.
Union members and supporters maintain indicators in help of a $20 minimal wage earlier than former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s look throughout a marketing campaign press convention and rally asserting his help for the wage hike on Wednesday, Could 28, 2025, in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams / New York Every day Information)
Cuomo acknowledged there’s possible going to be pushback towards his new proposal.
“The business people are going to say, ‘Oh, no, you can’t raise the minimum wage because that’s going to slow the economy.’ — Baloney!” mentioned Cuomo, whose mayoral run is, largely, being bankrolled by billionaires and executives in enterprise sectors like actual property and finance. “The pundits are going to say, ‘Oh, it’s going to be too hard to get it passed politically, politicians are going to be afraid to get it passed.’ Well, I’ll tell you this: They’re wrong. And you know how we know they’re wrong? Because we did it before and we’re going to do it again.”
Cuomo didn’t provide a lot element on how he’d get the proposal throughout the end line in Albany aside from to say his workforce will work with labor unions to “organize the working men and women of this city” to help the next minimal wage.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am to be the labor candidate in this race,” Cuomo, who has been endorsed by a number of of town’s most influential private-sector unions, informed a room crowded with members from 1199 and different labor teams.
Cuomo isn’t the one mayoral candidate to again a minimal wage improve. Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who’s constantly polling because the runner-up to Cuomo in June’s main, has unveiled a plan that may get town’s minimal hourly wage to $30 by 2030.
Union members and supporters maintain indicators in help of a $20 minimal wage earlier than former Gov. Andrew Cuomo look throughout a marketing campaign press convention and rally asserting his help for the hassle on Wednesday, Could 28, 2025, in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams / New York Every day Information)
Some advocates fear a minimal wage soar might hamper small companies within the metropolis dealing with steep operational price will increase due President Trump’s tariff insurance policies, a drop in worldwide tourism to New York and different elements.
“A wage increase like this would mostly impact small businesses, as they have minimum-wage workers, and I just hope Cuomo and any other candidates who have indicated support for an increase have consulted with them,” mentioned Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York Metropolis, a nonprofit advocating for native companies. “Otherwise, this could be a prospect that makes small businesses very nervous. The fear is they’ll have to lay people off or ultimately close.”
Cuomo spokesman Wealthy Azzopardi mentioned small enterprise leaders might be a part of any wage improve conversations if the ex-gov is elected mayor.
