ALBANY — State Assembly Democrats are jumping on the Obama bandwagon and pushing for a minimum-wage hike to $9 an hour in New York.
They had first proposed $8.50 an hour, up from the current federal $7.25 rate. Their new plan squares with President Obama’s State of the Union call, which would index the rate annually for inflation.
But, as business groups criticized the proposal, state Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos of Long Island — who is already resisting a smaller increase and hopes to tie it to tax credits for small businesses — says New York should wait for the feds.
“To keep New York businesses from being put at a competitive disadvantage, it may be best to wait and see what the federal government does before the state acts,” Skelos spokesman Scott Reif said.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), however, said the state “cannot wait while Washington weighs the pros and cons.” Silver (right) is co-sponsoring the bill with Gov. Cuomo’s handpicked state Democratic party co-chair, Assemblyman Keith Wright.
Cuomo — who has proposed an $8.75 rate — said this week that federal action is preferable so states are on a level playing field. But he said New York should push forward in the interim.
Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) signaled that Obama’s plan is in for a fight.
“When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it,” he said.
“Why do we want to make it harder for small employers to hire people?”