New York City Council bill calls for $30 minimum wage by 2030. Here's how it works.
New York City's minimum wage could climb to $30 per hour in the coming years.
A proposal in the City Council stands to benefit of a lot of people, but there has also been significant pushback.
How the bill would work
Wage increase advocates chanted on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday, eager for the introduction of a new bill that takes a phased-in approach to raising the city's current minimum wage of $17 per hour.
The proposed legislation calls for workers at workplaces with more than 500 employees to get $30 per hour by the year 2030.
The staggered increases would be as follows:
- $20 per hour in 2027
- $23 in 2028
- $26 in 2029
- $30 in 2030
Business with less than 500 employees would eventually move up to $30 per hour by 2032.
- $19 in 2027
- $21.50 in 2028
- $24 in 2029
- $27 in 2030
- $29 in 2031
- $30 in 2032
Seattle ($21.30 per hour), Denver ($19.29) and Flagstaff, Arizona ($18.35), have minimum wage rates higher than New York's. No city in the U.S. currently has a $30-per-hour minimum.
Councilmember Sandra Nurse sponsored the bill, titled "$30 for Our City," and said the existing rate of $17 amounts to about $500 per week, leaving far too many New Yorkers in poverty.
"And to actually just meet your basic needs, you need to earn about $38 per hour. Today, we're just asking for $30," Nurse said.
"We know in our hearts that something is wrong. That's why we're demanding $30," a man at the rally added.
Giovanni Uribe moved from out of state to the city's Chelsea neighborhood less than a year ago. He said even as he holds down two jobs, he struggles financially.
"It is expensive to live here," Uribe said.
"You're going to see businesses close"
Opponents, like Tom Grech, president and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, say $30 per hour is just too much.
"You're going to see businesses close, a lot less hires," Grech said. "Thirty dollars an hour, 2,000 hours a year. That's $60,000 plus fringe [benefits]. How can an entry-level person make close to $80,000 if there is going to be benefits in fringe? It is not sustainable."
As a next step, opponents of the plan say they want a detailed economic impact study.
Mayor Mamdani weighs in
The proposal is similar to a key campaign proposal from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who also called for a $30 minimum wage.
A spokesperson for the mayor said in a statement, "Mayor Mamdani believes that all New Yorkers need to make a living wage," adding, "As the administration reviews this specific legislation, the mayor remains committed to tackling the cost-of-living crisis using every tool at the city's disposal."
