Sarah Taddeo is reporting for the Poughkeepsie Journal workers upstate will see an increase in the minimum wage in the new year, as part of the state’s effort to secure a $15 hourly wage for everyone. As of December 31, workers outside of New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County will be paid $14.20 an hour as part of an incremental increase schedule set by lawmakers. New York City and other downstate areas have already reached the $15-per-hour threshold after several annual increases. Fast-food workers statewide already make $15 per hour. Some lawmakers are now pushing for the state to go further, citing high inflation rates and the high cost of living in metro areas. Lawmakers have put forward a bill that would raise the minimum wage in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County to $21.25 per hour over a three-year period, from 2024 to 2026. The plan would have the rest of the state reach $20 per hour in 2026, and $21.25 by the following year. A version of the bill was proposed in the Legislature in 2021, but it failed to move. “$15/hour just isn’t cutting it in New York City anymore,” Jumaane Williams, New York City’s Public Advocate and a former candidate for New York governor, said on Twitter in November. “As the cost of living increases, our pay should, too.” But business leaders are wary of the legislation, saying it would compound the overhead small businesses faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and in its aftermath. “How lawmakers could consider adding another expense to small business’ bottom lines is unfathomable,” the National Federation of Independent Businesses New York state director Ashley Ranslow said. Read the full story in the Poughkeepsie Journal.