New York Governor Makes Push for Statewide Minimum Wage Hike

The vice president joins Andrew Cuomo in calling for a $15 minimum wage across the state.

SPONSOREDUpdated 4:16PM • 09/10/15

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The first statewide push of its kind for a $15 minimum wage was kicked off Thursday in New York.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, made his call to action a call for justice, standing alongside Vice President Joe Biden, Fortune reports.

“Every working man and woman in the State of New York deserves $15 an hour as a minimum wage. If you work full time, you should not live a life in poverty, period,” Cuomo said.

The so-called Fight for $15 is nearly three years old, and it has achieved significant victories, as Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles have adopted $15 minimum wages. But so far, those successful campaigns have come at the city and county levels. Cuomo is seeking a $15 minimum wage for all of New York—the first statewide push of its kind.

New York’s minimum wage is $8.75 and is set to move to $9 at the end of the year. Some low-wage workers in the state are already getting a bigger pay boost. In July, the state wage board suggested raising the minimum wage of all fast-food workers to $15, which was approved recently by the state’s labor commissioner. Cuomo was able to target fast-food workers’ wages outside the legislative process because the state empowers the labor commissioner or a wage board to assess whether pay for a particular job is sufficient.

New York state will gradually raise the minimum for fast-food workers to $15 an hour. Cuomo's administration formally approved the increase Thursday and announced it at the labor rally.

On Thursday, Cuomo said that if fast-food workers deserve $15 per hour, so do construction workers, home health care aides and taxi drivers.

Read the original story here: FORTUNE