A statewide poll from Data for Progress shows that more than three quarters of New Yorkers are in favor of the Raise the Wage Act. The Raise the Wage Act would up the state's minimum wage to more than $20 by 2026.
Raise Up NY coalition urged Governor Kathy Hochul to call for a minimum wage increase in her State of the State address, which happened on Jan. 10 in Albany.
“The polling shows off-the-charts, 80% support for a $20+ minimum wage in New York – including 65% of Republicans, and super-high majorities across upstate and Long Island," said Tal Frieden, spokesperson for Raise Up NY.
"It highlights how, with consumers being slammed by the highest inflation in 40 years, voters across the spectrum know workers need a LOT more than $15 an hour -- and are demanding that Governor Hochul and the legislature act.”
If passed, the legislation would move the minimum wage up to where it would have been if it had been adjusted each year since 2019. That translates to raising the wage to $21.25 by 2026 in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island; the rest of the state would reach $20 by 2026. After 2026, the minimum wage would automatically adjust so it wouldn’t fall behind again.
New Yorkers across party lines are in favor of the legislation, over 76% of New York voters, including 86% of Democrats, 77% of Independents, and 60% of Republicans, believe the state’s minimum wage should be automatically adjusted to increases in the cost of living each year.
“The family budgets of New York’s working families are being squeezed to an unprecedented degree and working families urgently need a minimum wage that protects them against the ravages of rising prices,” said Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner, chair of the Assembly Labor Committee.
“The catch-up provisions included in the Raise the Wage Act will enable working families to regain lost purchasing power while strengthening the local economy in the Bronx and communities throughout New York.”
