With the 2016 presidential election just around the corner, it appears that employment wages, including minimum wages on both the federal, state and city level, have become important talking points. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 per hour. The New York state minimum wage is $8.75, which will be raised to $9.00 per hour on December 31, 2015.
To many living in New York, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to sustain a modern lifestyle under such a wage. With that in mind, Byron Brown, mayor of Buffalo, has compiled a three member board and hosted a public hearing to discuss raising the state’s minimum wage for food workers to $15 per hour. This comes following a national trend of cities raising the minimum wage in an effort to create a “livable wage” for all residents. Cities such as Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles have already approved such wage increases.
Until this wage increase actually happens in New York, it is important to understand your rights to a minimum wage as an employee. You are entitled to not only a minimum wage, but you are also protected against unpaid overtime, the failure to pay benefits by your employer, wrongful termination and protection against retaliation if you do feel your employee rights were violated and you file a claim.
For over 20 years, our team at Mitchell Pollack & Associates has been serving the tri-state area with representation for all forms of employee and employment law, including corporate law, commercial litigation, real estate litigation, bankruptcy and many other forms of employee discrimination. With offices in Tarrytown, New York and Mahwah, New Jersey, our team is here to help.
Source: New York Times, “Board Hears Support for Raising Food Workers’ Minimum Wage” Patrick McGeehan, June 15, 2015
