Briana Supardi is reporting for WRGB-TV for the fourth consecutive year, the minimum hourly wage is going up in the state of New York. Beginning December 31, minimum wage workers upstate will earn $11.80 an hour, an increase of 70 cents. The hourly wage for fast-food workers will go up a dollar to $13.75. And for the first time since the wage increases began in 2016, tipped workers in upstate New York will see their hourly rate increase from $7.50 to $7.85. An analysis released by the state’s Division of Budget this month found the annual increases have had negligible or insignificant effects on labor markets. “We are in an all-time high in the number of individuals working in the private sector which to me means that it’s not having a negative impact on businesses,” said Assemblymember John McDonald, a Democrat representing Cohoes and Rensselaer. McDonald and other lawmakers question whether the higher pay for fast-food workers is fair, however. “I would dare say ‘Yes, fine it’s great that somebody can make $15 an hour flipping a burger at McDonald’s’. But more meaningful work and more challenging work is being done caring for people with disabilities, caring for the elderly, caring for children,” said McDonald. He says the state needs to do more to support workers in the human services industry and plans to work on the issue with the governor during the upcoming legislative session. Read the full story at CBS6Albany [dot] com.