Reminder: Minimum Wage Increases at the End of the Month
The state’s minimum wage rate varies depending on the region, and is increasing every year until it reaches $15.00 per hour. New York City, Long Island, and Westchester have reached the $15.00 per hour minimum wage level – and a cash wage for tipped foodservice workers of $10 per hour.
The minimum wage rate in the rest of the state increases from $13.20 per hour to $14.20 per hour on December 31st. The cash wage for tipped foodservice workers will increase from $8.80 per hour to $9.45 per hour. These increases take effect on December 31, 2022, not after. Employees working on New Year’s Eve are required to be paid the new rates for the entire day.
As noted above, the minimum wage will continue to increase in the rest of the state until it reaches $15.00 per hour. It’s all but certain that the state will increase the minimum wage in those areas next year to the $15.00 per hour level. The question is will it go higher after that? And if it does, how high?
The Chairs of the Assembly and Senate Labor Committees have both introduced legislation to increase the wage further and to index the minimum wage to the cost of living and increases in “worker productivity” going forward. Each bill pegs the new minimum wage above $20.00 per hour before implementing automatic, annual increases. This will be one of the most contentious issues during the 2023 Legislative Session, so we’re at work with other groups to build a campaign to thwart this onslaught.