ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Senate overrode Gov. George E. Pataki’s veto of an increase in the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour, said Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno (R.-Troy) Monday. The override was passed with a vote of 50 to 8.
Bruno said the minimum wage increase would go to $6 an hour Jan. 1. “We were hoping that the federal government would act. They have not acted. In 2006, the minimum wage goes to $6.75 and in 2007, it will go to $7.15.”
The New York State Assembly already has passed the measure.
According to Bruno, the increase will help working families at the lowest income levels “make ends meet, without putting an undue burden on small businesses and the economy, while it helps the working poor realize the value and dignity of hard work.”
However, Mark Alesse, government liaison for the National Federation of Independent Business, urged the Senate to put aside the anticipated vote to override Pataki’s veto. “The NFIB is asking for amendments that will allow permanent workers earning the minimum wage to get an increase but without imposing a heavy burden on small businesses.”
According to Alesse, the AFL-CIO-funded Fiscal Policy Institute has predicted that 691,000 workers will receive an additional $2 an hour if the Senate overrides Pataki’s veto. The NFIB is suggesting the Senate amend the bill to permit a nine-month “training wage at the current $5.15 per hour and couple it with a tax cut for businesses with under 50 employees.”
Bruno said it had been four years since the minimum wage was last increased in New York State and since then, 12 other states and the District of Columbia have raised their minimum wages above $5.15.