NY Joins CA As Among The First States To Raise Minimum Wage to $15
New York joins California in becoming one of the first states of the Nation to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour. For New York, this change will be gradual and its first effects have already begun as of December 31, 2016.
The end result is to bring the minimum wage for non-tipped workers up to $15 and for tipped workers up to $10. There will be a consistent increase each December 31 until such end result is met.
The scheduled increases will vary based on the size of the employer and the location within which the employee works. For example, New York City employees working for large employers, defined as 11 or more employees, will continue to receive wage increases by $2.00 each year until December 31, 2018. Those working for small employers in New York City, 10 or fewer employees, will continue to receive increases by $1.50 each year until December 31, 2019. The remainder of downstate employees will gain increases by a dollar each year until December 31, 2021. The remainder of New York, small and large employers, will see increases by seventy cents ($0.70) a year. The increase rates for fast food industry employees and tipped employees will vary as well.
New York has created the Minimum Wage Enforcement and Outreach Unit, a task force to ensure that employers are both in compliance and educated about the changes. Nonetheless, the government is also ensuring it reaches out to minimum wage workers to educate them about how to report violations. Employers must make efforts to understand the proper categories within which their employees properly work and which minimum wage rate is applicable during each year.
For more information and the schedule for dates moving forward: https://www.labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/workprot/minwage.shtm.
New York has also increased the salary exempt threshold as of December 31, 2016 for executive and administrative overtime exempt employees. This increase still remains in effect despite the stay by a United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, which granted an emergent application to stay the salary threshold increase implemented by the federal Department of Labor.
For more information and the full text of Wage Orders in New York, visit https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/workprot/minwage.shtm.