Between a flip-flopping Gov. Cuomo and reckless city politicians hell-bent on hiking the minimum wage, job-seeking New Yorkers — especially blacks and Latinos — will likely pay a high price.
As part of his deal to get the Working Families Party ballot line, Cuomo surrendered to the WFP’s demand that localities be free to set their own minimum wages.
Last year, Albany hiked the minimum wage, making it $9 an hour when fully phased in in 2015.
Meanwhile, President Obama’s been pushing for a national rate of $10.10. All this is especially bad news for Gotham, where we have a mayor and his allies who seem to think they can make everyone better off by decree.
Right now they are looking to Seattle, which last month hiked its own minimum wage to $15.
After speaking to his Seattle counterpart, Mayor de Blasio called for a minimum “well above $10.” His ally, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito says the council will engage in hearings” to determine the best rate.”
Excuse us, but the idea that politicians have any idea what a wage should be is ridiculous.
This idea is most dangerous for the city’s African-American workers and others seeking entry-level positions, especially when the black unemployment rate is roughly double the white unemployment rate.
Only a pol could believe you help people struggling to find work by making them more expensive to hire.