Statement from Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan

New York is already in the midst of a phased-in minimum wage increase that was approved by the State Legislature and signed by the Governor.

Increasing the minimum wage to $15-an-hour would give New York State the highest minimum wage in the nation.   However, companies looking to succeed and grow here are currently dealing with among the highest costs of doing business in the country, and this proposal would dramatically increase their labor costs as well.  Raising the wage floor in New York that far that fast could lead to unintended consequences such as severe job losses and negatively impact many businesses who are already struggling just to keep their heads above water.

In addition, this move comes less than six months after the Governor himself dismissed a proposal by Democrats in the Assembly seeking to increase the state's minimum wage to $15-an-hour during State Budget negotiations.

We need to proceed cautiously and deliberatively, and take a step back to study the real-life consequences of any additional increase in the minimum wage, especially one of the magnitude of a nearly 70-percent hike.  Legislative hearings and public deliberation are critical before we even remotely consider raising the minimum wage again.