New York enacted a law that requires the minimum wage to increase every year until it reaches $15 an hour. The increase is triggered at the end of the calendar year.
With the annual increases, it is important to stay on top of your pay every year and make sure your employer is being held accountable to the requirement. In Long Island, the minimum wage increased from $10 an hour to $11 an hour on December 31. The minimum wage is scheduled to increase by $1 an hour until 2021, when it reaches $15.
This wage differs if you receive tips or work in the food service industry. This year, the cash wage for service employees was $8.35 an hour and the cash wage for food service employees was $7.50 an hour. Those wages will also need to increase every year under New York law until they reach $10 an hour, so your wage should have increased after December 31.
Are you getting paid enough?
Your employer should already have a plan in place to automatically increase your wages and it should reflect in your pay starting January 1. However, it would help to review your pay statements, especially if your pay period covers the week before and after the increase date.
If you are paid the minimum wage and discover your wage did not increase after December 31, talk to your employer to make sure they know about the error and can correct it. If they push back, talk to an employment attorney who can advocate for you to be paid what New York has determined is your rightful wage.
