New York City minimum wage will rise to $15 by December 2018
For residents of New York City, the time has come for a little breathing room. While this is a great city to visit, at times we permanent residents often envy the tourist. Unlike other states and countries, NYC does not have a tourist season, it’s year-round here. The Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and other historic landmarks never leave or close. The weather is hot in the summer and cold in the winter but the tourist is faithful and determined.
What they see is the Manhattan skyline, the busy streets of 34th and 42nd and get lost in the moment. Well, for us residents we see the same streets and wonder where is the money going? The city generates an enormous amount of capital daily but the resident of New York has never felt the giveback.
New York City is expensive. If the tourist complains about the prices of the food, cabs, and souvenirs then they need to hop on the local train and check the rent prices where we live. A two bedroom in the metro area will cost anywhere from $1620 and higher and that’s not including what it cost to rent in Manhattan. The average two bedroom starts at $3800. This is not the place to live if you’re making $8-10 an hour. That’s just having a place to rest your head at night. We haven’t gotten into the cost of utilities, food, and MTA fare.
With prices so high, it was only a matter of time before the state government was forced to take action. Slowly the minimum wage in NYC has raised. In December of 2016, the minimum wage was increased to $11. What’s important is that most people don’t know this. Some companies will let the law pass and not tell their employees and still be on the hook for paying them the $8-9 they were making prior to Governor Andrew Cuomo signing the new bill.
What made me do this article was that I like to stay informed but I know that some people cannot. My job still has the old law taped to the wall and not the new wage. Right there, that lets me know that letting the public know is not as important as it should be. I’ve talked to a few workers in other jobs that bragged about a raise recently, not knowing they got one because the law stated that’s what you must make. It’s still great news, but it’s also silent news.
Next year by December 2017 the wage will go up another $2 from $11 to $13 and by December of 2018, it will hit $15. While the news may be under wraps, it is the truth. If you haven’t received a raise a yet, then I suggest you head to your manager’s office and show them this link to let them know what you deserve.
[Mark3]The increase won’t solve all problems but if you were making $9 an hour, how can you complain about a $2 raise?
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
