The State Senate and Assembly have not yet agreed on raising the state minimum wage.

Phone calls are needed to Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (518 455-3191). Phone calls to other Senate Republicans are also needed. (switchboard 455-2800) starting with Sen. Velella, chair of the Senate Labor Committee.

Message: Please support raising the state minimum wage to $6.75 and indexing it to changes in the cost of living.

The big issue is whether or not the Senate will agree to indexing (automatically adjusting the minimum wage to inflation).

It appears that the Senate is willing to increase the state minimum wage over two years to $6.75. The Assembly had wanted 1 year, but is willing to go to two.

The Assembly had initially pegged the minimum wage to changes in the consumer price index. They passed a second bill to agree to the Senate proposal to peg it to changes in the average weekly wages of employees. Now the Senate is balking at any indexing. Their argument is that the legislature should be the ones to decide whether or not to raise the minimum wage, since they have a better feel of what is needed. The counterargument is that this turns the minimum wage into a political football every year, and since the small business people have more power than low income workers, business usually wins. For instance, it has been decades since the state legislature has approved an increase higher than the federal minimum wage, whereas other states in the northeast (e.g., Mass., Conn.) routinely have higher minimum wages.

The Senate of course wants to have the minimum wage as a bargaining chip in the future, so they don't want it indexed.

Congress will vote on a two-step increase in the federal minimum wage ($6.65) this fall.