New York governor reveals plan for US$15 minimum wage

[NEW YORK] New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his support Thursday for a US$15 per hour minimum wage that would be gradually implemented state-wide for all workers.

The move follows his push in late July to raise the minimum wage for fast-food employees to US$15.

"Every working man and woman in the state of New York deserves US$15 an hour as a minimum wage," Mr Cuomo said during a speech in Manhattan, flanked by union leaders and US Vice-President Joe Biden - who is considering a bid for the White House.

The Democratic governor said he would take his proposal, which would benefit an estimated 2.2 million workers, to New York's state legislature.

However the measure will need support from the body's Republican lawmakers.

The federal minimum wage is currently pegged at US$7.25 an hour, but states and municipalities can set their own minimum.

Some 29 states and Washington, DC, have minimum wages above the federal minimum. New York's stands at US$8.75.

Meanwhile, several cities from Seattle to San Francisco have a US$15 minimum wage, and US President Barack Obama has recommended a federal minimum wage of $12 per hour.

Under Mr Cuomo's plan, wage increases would be implemented gradually, taking effect in New York City by 2018, and elsewhere in the state by 2021.

AFP