NY minimum wage for fast food workers raised to $15 per hour
Starting on July 1, fast food workers will receive a boost in their paychecks across upstate New York.
Upstate fast food workers will now make be making $15 an hour, up from $14.50.
Over the past five years, the state has been gradually raising the minimum wage in a phased approach.
Fast food workers in New York City have already been making $15 an hour since December 31, 2018.
“It’s hard work,” Saru Jayaraman, co-founder of One Fair Wage, explained. “It’s skilled jobs. We rely on these workers, as we found out during the pandemic. We called them ‘essential.’ They have been the ones that have allowed us to continue to enjoy eating out, or to get meals delivered.”
However, Senator George Borrello says that raising the fast food minimum wage places an unfair burden on small businesses already competing to find employees to return to work.
Borrello says many fast food joints are also now switching to automation and technology.
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