The minimum wage in New York City would increase to a nation-leading $30 an hour, nearly double the current rate, under legislation set to be introduced Tuesday in the City Council, according to the bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Sandra Nurse.<\/p>\n
The increase would come in steps, reaching the $30 mark by 2030, up from the current $17 hourly rate, the Brooklyn lawmaker said. Proponents of the change said the boost was necessary to help low-wage workers contend with the city\u2019s affordability crisis.<\/p>\n
The proposal also echoes a key campaign proposal of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who also called<\/a> for a $30 minimum wage in the run-up to his election last year.<\/p>\n The proposal was cheered by worker-friendly advocacy groups as long overdue, while business leaders expressed concern, arguing that it could force small businesses to shut down. The proposal also arises amid fresh economic uncertainty<\/a> in the country, stemming from fighting in the Middle East, rising energy costs and upheaval tied to President Trump\u2019s tariffs.<\/p>\n Nurse, a Democrat, said the legislative push would begin with a rally on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday. She said the existing $17 hourly rate amounted to $500 weekly in take home pay, after taxes, leaving too many New York families in poverty.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s essentially a crisis for most people on a weekly basis,\u201d Nurse said.<\/p>\n The measure would have direct implications for more than a million workers across the city who earn the $17 minimum wage, amounting to more than a quarter of the local labor force, according to a 2023 report<\/a> from then-City Comptroller Brad Lander.<\/p>\n Nurse noted that New York City\u2019s minimum is behind such cities as Flagstaff, Arizona, where the minimum is $18.35; Denver, where it is $19.29; and Seattle, which has a $21.30 hourly minimum.<\/p>\n But no U.S. city currently has a $30 minimum, though some hospitality workers in Los Angeles are set to receive a $30 rate by 2028, and certain tourism workers in San Diego will get a $25 minimum wage by 2030, according to<\/a> the National Employment Law Project. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 has remained unchanged since 2009.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are so behind,\u201d Nurse said. \u201cAnd the cost of living in those cities is significantly lower than what New York City workers are facing.\u201d<\/p>\n The legislation calls for employers with more than 500 employees to pay workers $20 an hour by 2027 and $30 an hour by 2030. Companies that employ fewer than 500 workers would be required to pay workers $21.50 by 2028 and hit $30 an hour by 2032. Future increases would be linked to cost-of-living increases.<\/p>\n Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for the mayor, said in a statement, \u201cMayor Mamdani believes that all New Yorkers need to make a living wage\u201d in order to address the affordability crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the administration reviews this specific legislation, the mayor remains committed to tackling the cost-of-living crisis using every tool at the city\u2019s disposal,\u201d Pekec said.<\/p>\n During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani said<\/a> he sought to ensure \u201cNew Yorkers have a high quality of life, top-tier public safety, the ability to pay rent and afford child care.\u201d<\/p>\n The last major increase in the minimum wage was in the 2010s, when the city\u2019s minimum wage rose to $15 for companies employing 11 or more employees, according<\/a> to the state department of labor. It rose to $17 at the beginning of this year.<\/p>\n Business leaders warn that a $30 minimum wage would harm small businesses across the city.<\/p>\n Tom Grech, the president and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, said businesses would be forced to cut employees in order to remain open.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s just not affordable for small businesses,\u201d Grech said, \u201cand we’re going to see a lot of them close.\u201d<\/p>\n Lisa Sorin, the president of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that the $30 minimum wage proposal demands \u201ca comprehensive economic impact study before policymakers move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Sorin added, \u201cSmall businesses across the Bronx are already struggling against rising costs for rent, insurance, utilities, and regulatory compliance,\u201d and that a wage increase would force some out of business.<\/p>\n Theodore Moore, \u200athe executive director of Align, the Alliance for Greater New York, a coalition of labor and community organizations backing the legislation, said a $30 wage would lift \u201cmillions of New Yorkers out of poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n The demand is part of a nationwide call by labor activists for a $30 minimum wage, Moore said, similar to the Fight for 15<\/a> movement that took place in the previous decade.<\/p>\n Union leaders said they intended to push for passage of the legislation.<\/p>\n Christopher A Williamson, the vice president of Teamsters Local 804, a group that represents 7,000 UPS workers, said members would travel to Albany if state approval was ultimately required. He said wages have stagnated, forcing working-class New Yorkers to make difficult decisions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s unfair to have a family and you\u2019ve got to choose the light bill or food, the gas bill or food,\u201d Williamson said.<\/p>\n Some research suggests that raising the minimum wage does not necessarily lead to lower employment.<\/p>\n A 2019 study conducted by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that<\/a> the state\u2019s minimum wage increase in previous years \u201cappears to have had a positive effect on average wages but no discernible effect on employment.\u201d<\/p>\n