By Chao Deng and Kate King
Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2026
... A bill introduced this week in the City Council would ... take the current minimum hourly wage from $17 to $30 by 2030 for large businesses; businesses that employ fewer than 500 people would hit the $30 mark by 2032. ...
Many businesses already pay well above $17-an-hour minimum wage to compete for employees. ...
Aaron Seyedian owns a cleaning business that starts its maids at $27 an hour in New York City. He said a phased increase to $30 is fair given the cost burdens shouldered by low-income families. “How you feel about this is ultimately ideological,” said Seyedian, who added that raising the wage would help employers retain their workers. ...
The last time New York City implemented a large minimum-wage increase—when pay went from $7.25 in 2013 to $9 in 2016, then $15 in 2019—fears of increased unemployment weren’t borne out. The city saw strong economic growth and job creation, as well as the largest reduction in poverty in 50 years. ...