…And $15 An Hour Is The New Normal

It appears official that New York’s quick-service workers soon will be earning a minimum wage of $15 an hour. The New York Fast Food Wage Board voted last month to phase in a tiered, $15 an hour minimum wage at restaurants with more than 30 units, providing a faster timetable for New York City operators than for those in other parts of the state.

The move, aimed only at the QSR industry, is at odds with the approach in other states and cities, which have raised the minimum wage to $15 for all businesses.

The wage board unanimously recommended tiered increases for restaurant brands in New York City that were on a faster schedule than those elsewhere in the state. The minimum wage for workers there is now $8.75 an hour and already was scheduled to increase to $9 on Jan. 1, 2016.

The board urged a schedule that would bring the wage to $15 an hour in New York City by Dec. 31, 2018. Outside the city, the panel recommended a schedule that phased in increases to culminate in $15 an hour by July 1, 2021.