Speaker Heastie Statement on Minimum Wage Increase

The Assembly Majority believes that putting families first means ensuring that every hardworking New Yorker is able to earn a living wage. 

The fight to increase New York’s minimum wage began here in the People’s House. In 2016, my colleagues and I fought tirelessly to put an end to stagnant wages in New York by establishing a meaningful plan for sustainable wage growth. That year, we successfully enacted legislation with scheduled annual wage increases for workers all across the state to reach $15 per hour. 

The minimum wage in New York City reached $15 per hour on December 31, 2019. On December 31, 2020, wages will rise to $14 an hour for workers in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties and to $12.50 an hour in the remainder of the state.  

Our fight to improve the lives of working people is far from over. In the year ahead, my colleagues and I will work to confront our state’s toughest challenges while continuing our commitment to putting New York families first. I look forward to a productive session in 2021 as we fight to defeat this terrible healthcare crisis.