WASHINGTON, DC – Recently, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) helped pass the Raise the Wage Act, a bill that will gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 over the next six years. This bill would increase pay for 33 million American workers.
“This is about leveling the playing field for every family and worker across America. New York has already been a leader on this, but we’re well overdue for a minimum wage increase on the national level. This will boost our local economy, help us close the pay gap, and bring more hardworking New York families into the middle class,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.
New York state passed a minimum wage increase in 2015, which will increase the minimum wage to $15 for most workers – including over 67,000 workers in the lower Hudson Valley. The federal bill, the Raise the Wage Act will prevent businesses from moving to nearby states with lower wage rates, at the detriment to New York state-based workers and families and the state’s economy.
The federal minimum wage has not been increased in over 10 years – the longest stretch in history – despite inflation rising. There is no place in America where a full-time worker making minimum wage can afford housing and basic necessities for themselves and their family.
The Raise the Wage Act would:
* Gradually raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 over the next six years
* Index future increases in the federal minimum wage to median wage growth to ensure the value of minimum wage does not once again erode over time;
* Guarantee tipped workers, youth workers, and workers with disabilities are paid at least the full federal minimum wage by phasing out subminimum wages
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