NEW YORK (AP) – New York state will gradually raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 an hour – the first time any state has set the minimum that high.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration formally approved the increase Thursday, a move the Democratic governor announced at a labor rally with Vice President Joe Biden. Cuomo said he would work to pass legislation setting a $15 minimum for all industries, a promise that comes as more and more cities around the country move toward a $15 minimum wage.
“Every working man and woman in the state of New York deserves $15 an hour,” the governor told the enthusiastic crowd of union members. “We’re not going to stop until we get it done.”
Biden predicted the $15 wage for fast-food workers would galvanize efforts across the country.
“You’re going to make every single governor in every single state in America look at themselves,” he said at the rally in New York City. “It’s going to have a profound impact.”