On January 1, the “new” in New York City did a lot of lifting. It was, of course, the first day on the job for (then) newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city’s freshly raised minimum wage, courtesy of Governor Kathy Hochul and a statewide 2024 proposal that brought NYC’s lowest hourly rate to $17. The latter was the final bump in that package, but it set a new floor to work from for the former, who campaigned on raising the city’s minimum wage on his way to a historic election. And now it appears we’re one step closer to that ambitious reality.
Today, March 10, a bill to incrementally increase the NYC minimum wage is slated to be introduced to City Council by its sponsor, Councilwoman Sandra Nurse of the city’s 37th district, representing Brownsville, Bushwick, Cypress Hills, and East New York in Brooklyn. The proposal calls for a gradual bump in the city’s minimum wage each year until finally hitting $30, with timelines dependent on the size of the company. Businesses with more than 500 employees would increase to $20 per hour in 2027 and then to $30 by 2030. For businesses with fewer than 500 workers, wages would rise to $21.50 by 2028, and then to $30 by 2032. Barring any sudden increases in other cities across the country between now and then, this would make NYC’s minimum wage the highest in the nation. According to the Economic Policy Institute, New York (the most expensive city in the country) is currently outpaced and outpaid by several cities in Washington (Burien’s $21.16, Seattle’s $21.30, and Renton’s $21.50) and California (San Francisco’s $19.18, Mountain View’s $19.70, and West Hollywood’s $20.25) with lower costs of living.
The bump is welcomed and long overdue for the million-plus workers relying on minimum wage in NYC (per a 2023 report by former City Comptroller Brad Lander), but the response to the proposal hasn’t been universally positive. Small business owners, in particular, have pushed back, claiming a hike in the city’s minimum wage would only increase the strain on mom-&-pop’s already struggling with operational costs. “It’s just not affordable for small businesses,” Queens Chamber of Commerce president Tom Grech told Gothamist. His sentiments were echoed by Bronx Chamber of Commerce president Lisa Sorin, who claimed a minimum wage proposal of this nature would require “a comprehensive economic impact study before policymakers move forward.”
The campaign for the plan began today with a rally at the steps of City Hall. It was attended by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “NYC’s minimum wage is far behind other cities in the US even though our cost of living is among the highest,” Reynoso wrote in a tweet from the rally. “We must raise the minimum wage to $30 so that our working families and city can thrive!”
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