Governor Cuomo announced Sunday that he will propose raising the minimum wage in New York State to $10.50 per hour and in New York City to $11.50 by 2016.  As previously reported in the New York Times, the Governor had rejected the notion that municipalities could raise the minimum wage on their own but later reversed his position.  His new proposal recognizes the higher cost of living in New York City and proposes a slightly higher statewide minimum wage than he endorsed last year.

The Governor’s posted announcement states, “A reasonable minimum wage is a necessity in order to improve the standard of living for workers, encourage fair and more efficient business practices, and ensure that the most vulnerable members of the workforce can contribute to the economy.”

Currently the minimum wage in New York is $8.75 per hour and scheduled to increase to $9.00 per hour in 2016.

A number of other states and localities raised their minimum wage in 2014.  The Governor’s latest announcement is in keeping with the trend of states and cities acting before the federal government to increase minimum wages.