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By Chris McKenna
Democrat & Chronicle, Rochester, Jan 1, 2024. Also The Press & Sun Bulletin (Binghamton).

About 1 million New Yorkers who stock store shelves and hold other low-wage jobs will get a pay boost in 2024.

New York is raising its minimum wage in January by $1 to $16 an hour for workers in New York City and the neighboring suburbs of Westchester County and Long Island. In the rest of the state, the hourly minimum is rising to $15 from $14.20, an 80-cent hike — and the realization of a $15 statewide minimum wage goal set into motion seven years ago ...

Yet some business owners banded together in support of a $21.25 minimum with a future inflation index. A coalition representing more than 300 businesses and business organizations across the state argued a "fair minimum wage" would help workers afford higher living costs, while curbing turnover and ensuring high-quality workforces for employers. ...

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