May 26, 2015
By Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
The Fast Food Wage Board has held its first meeting to examine raising the minimum wage for fast food workers. As a part of the process, they’re gathering testimony from the public. The promise of the minimum wage is not unlike that of the American Dream – if you work hard, you should be able to provide for your family and build a brighter future.
Yet for tens of thousands of hardworking men and women in the fast food industry, that promise has been forsaken. When 60 percent of food workers in the Empire State have at least one family member on public assistance – the highest rate of any industry in our economy – it is clear that the minimum wage is not working.
This board is a real, concrete step forward in the fight for fair pay. Raising the minimum wage will lift thousands of hardworking families out of poverty while decreasing the cost to taxpayers. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the smart thing to do.
As we continue to fight for a higher minimum wage in Albany, I will not allow legislative inaction to hold us back. Let us send the message loud and clear: New York won't stop until we restore and preserve opportunity for all. The Wage Board public hearings are a real opportunity to make your voice heard and make a difference in the lives of thousands of New Yorkers.
