skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, June 13, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump warns Iran to agree to a deal 'before there is nothing left'; 'No Kings' rallies planned across Massachusetts on Saturday; NV disability advocate alarmed by proposed cuts to Medicaid; Advocates push for economic inclusion during Pride Month in GA.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Democrats demand answers on CA Sen. Padilla's handcuffing and removal from a DHS news conference. Defense Secretary Hegseth defends the administration's protest response as preventative, and Trump vows protests of Saturday's military parade will be met with "heavy" force.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

EV charging stations are harder to find in rural America, improving the mental health of children and teachers is the goal of a new partnership in seven rural states, and a once segregated Mississippi movie theater is born again.

Proposed Bill Would Raise NY Minimum Wage Over $20

play audio
Play

Thursday, March 9, 2023   

A bill in the New York State Legislature would increase the minimum wage to over $20 by 2026.

The Raise the Wage Act would increase New York's $15 per hour minimum wage over the next three years and index each year after to match inflation.

Data from the Economic Policy Institute finds if this bill is approved, it would increase wages for about 3 million workers across the state by more than $3,000.

Alissa Barron-Menza, vice president of the group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, described how raising the minimum wage could reduce small business employee turnover.

"When we raise the minimum wage," said Barron-Menza, "that pays off for businesses in lower turnover, reduced hiring and training costs, fewer errors, and better productivity as workers can afford to stick around longer and get to know your business better. And, ultimately better customer service which is what helps keep customers coming back."

Some opponents feel this might encourage people to remain on minimum wage. However, more than 200 New York businesses and business organizations supported the bill by signing on to the New York Business for a Fair Minimum Wage statement.

Currently, the Raise the Wage Act is in committee.

Johanna Dominguez owns Put a Plant On It, a plant store in Buffalo. She's one of numerous small business owners in support of raising the minimum wage.

While the minimum wage in Buffalo isn't the same as New York City and Long Island, Dominguez said a minimum-wage increase can help keep employees satisfied with their jobs.

"I find that, both as a consumer but also as a small-business owner," said Dominguez, "when there's employee retention, and employees are greeting customers in a friendly and happy manner and not like in a dissociative 'I hate my job' manner that the customers end up coming back a lot more frequently."

Although New York's minimum wage has been at or near $15 since 2019, labor advocates and legislators feel it needs to catch up with current inflation.

A report from the National Employment Law Project finds continuous stagnation of New York's minimum wage could erase the benefits it created.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A single Abercrombie dairy facility will house 12,500 cows. Combined with the planned 25,000-cow Herberg site, these two operations will generate manure equivalent to that of a city of 1.5 million. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

North Dakota is facing growing opposition to two massive dairy operations planned near the Red River. Environmental advocates say the projects could …


Social Issues

play sound

The budget reconciliation bill being considered by the U.S. Senate proposes $863 billion in Medicaid reductions over a decade, with 10.9 million …

Social Issues

play sound

Next Monday marks the beginning of "PROTECT" week, when AARP helps seniors learn the signs of financial fraud. Experts say Maryland seniors can …


Researchers estimate only one in 1,000 sea turtles reaches adulthood. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

As World Sea Turtle Day approaches on Monday, an expert explains threats to sea turtles and their ecological importance along the coasts of the …

Health and Wellness

play sound

As Congress reviews budget slashes to health care in President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," a new evaluation from the nonpartisan Cong…

Sensitive areas such as San Diego's Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve are experiencing impacts from degraded water quality and sea level rise. (Nancy D. Regan/Flickr)

Environment

play sound

California took a big step Tuesday toward the goal of conserving 30% of land and waters by 2030. The Ocean Protection Council adopted a roadmap to …

Social Issues

play sound

A Kent State University shooting survivor is warning Ohioans and others to take note of the U.S. military's involvement in immigration-related …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Nevadans with disabilities are concerned with proposed federal cuts to Medicaid, despite claims from GOP lawmakers that the cuts target only waste…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021