Minimum wage in Central New York to increase on Monday

Phase-in schedule

The increase is part of a phase-in schedule that will eventually culminate with $15 per hour for affected workers.

State lawmakers approved the $15 minimum-wage legislation as part of the 2016-17 state budget. The phase-in schedule to reach the $15 per hour level is happening on a regional basis, Cuomo’s office said.

For example, big employers in New York City (11 or more employees) will be the first to start paying their workers at the $15 per hour level, beginning Monday. New York City’s small employers (10 or fewer) will reach the $15 per hour level on Dec. 31, 2019.

Minimum-wage workers on Long Island and in Westchester will reach the $15 per hour level on Dec. 31, 2021.

For most areas of upstate New York, the minimum wage will continue to increase to $15 on an indexed schedule to be set by the director of the division of budget in consultation with the New York State Department of Labor, per Cuomo’s news release.

At the same time, the minimum wage for fast-food workers outside New York City increases to $12.75 per hour as of Monday as well, per a state Labor Department document posted at the minimum-wage page of the New York State website.

Wage-theft hotline

In addition to announcing the forthcoming minimum-wage increases, Cuomo also launched a wage-theft hotline (1-888-4-NYSDOL) for workers to report employers not complying with the increase.

In coordination with the increase, the state Labor Department will release a multimedia public education campaign to raise awareness about the new minimum wage, Cuomo’s office said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com