Minimum wage game changed when NY lawmakers return

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published February 21, 2013 at 2:07 AM EST

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — When New York legislators return to Albany next week, they will face new challenges in the proposal to raise the state's minimum wage.

The current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposes raising that to $8.75 an hour, while Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wants it raised to $8.50 then linked to inflation.

But a year's worth of rallying and negotiations has at least been given pause now that President Barack Obama has proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour.

The battle in New York will be in the Senate. Republicans who share control of the majority want to see how Obama's effort fares first.

Cuomo also prefers a nationwide minimum wage increase so states are not pitted against each other.

New York News

Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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