Fiscal Policy Institute Minimum Wage




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ALBANY Frank Mauro Fiscal Policy Institute 1 Lear Jet Lane Latham, NY 12110 518-786-3156 mauro@fiscalpolicy.org
NEW YORK CITY James Parrott Fiscal Policy Institute 11 Park Place New York, NY 10007 212-721-5624 parrott@fiscalpolicy.org


	Minimum Wage


	New York's 2005-2007 minimum wage increases: Good for the state's workers, good for the economy. Minimum wage increases in New York have defied predictions that they would hurt the very low-wage workers they were designed to help. In fact, while benefiting many New Yorkers, they have not led to shrinking employment in low-wage businesses. Based on this evidence, New York's minimum wage should be raised again (to the point that a full time worker could keep a family of three out of poverty) and then indexed to the cost of living. January 22, 2007. States with Minimum Wages above the Federal level have had Faster Small Business and Retail Job Growth (PDF). This new report from the Fiscal Policy Institute shows that the diverse set of states with minimum wages above the federal $5.15 level have had faster job growth among small businesses and in the retail trade sector than states where the lower federal minimum prevailed. A press release announcing the new report is available in HTML and PDF formats. March 31, 2006. January 1, 2006. The Effects of New York's 2005 Increase in the Minimum Wage: A Preliminary Assessment (PDF). On January 1, 2006, the second step of a 3-step increase in New York State's minimum wage (from $6 an hour to $6.75 an hour) takes effect. Opponents of the minimum wage are again arguing that such an increase will hurt the very workers that it is intended to help by resulting in a reduction in the number of jobs and work hours provided by low wage employers. But this preliminary assessment of the impact of the first step of this phased increase in the minimum wage indicates that the opposite happened following the January 1, 2005, increase from $5.15 an hour to $6 an hour. New York Workers Who Would Benefit from an Increase in the NYS Minimum Wage to $7.15 per Hour --- County by County Estimates. November 18, 2004. (PDF) New York State Minimum Wage Increase: Myth vs Reality. November 18, 2004. (PDF) *Setting the Record Straight: An Increase in New York's Minimum Wage Will Help Those Who Need It* July 19, 2004 (PDF) State Minimum Wages and Employment in Small Businesses. April 21, 2004 (Full Report in PDF) State Minimum Wages and Employment in Small Businesses. April 21, 2004 (Highlights Only in HTML) Immigrant Workers and the Minimum Wage in New York City. Prepared by the Fiscal Policy Institute for the New York Immigration Coalition. Includes detailed tables on the immigrant workforce in New York City. March 25, 2004 (PDF) Raising the Minimum Wage in New York: Helping Working Families and Improving the State's Economy. (PDF) Revised January 20, 2004. This is FPI's main report on the minimum wage. It is a comprehensive introduction to the issues surrounding the debate over increasing New York State's Minimum Wage. (and January 11 press release) An Overview of Living Wage Ordinance Initiatives. PowerPoint presentation given by FPI Senior Economist Trudi Renwick at the forum, A Living Wage? Perspectives on the effect of minimum wage increases on community economic development sponsored by Dutchess County Outreach, the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-kill, and Vassar College. October 25, 2002 Minimum Wage Update. The purchasing power of the curent $5.15 per hour minimum wage is well below that of the 1960s and 1970s. From its peak in 1968, the purchasing power of the minimum wage has declined over 36%. June 26,2002 "New York's Minimum Wage Opportunity" by Tom Michl and Trudi Renwick, June 2000. Link to Economic Policy Institute Minimum Wage Issue Guide. "State lawmakers should boost minimum wage," Letter to the editor by Tom Michl and Trudi Renwick, Times Union, June 22, 2000. "Boost the Minimum Wage? Yes, to raise living standards" by James A. Parrott, Daily News, October 27, 1999, 1 p. Minimum Wage Fact Sheet, October 1999 Why the Federal and State Governments Should Both Increase and Index Their Minimum Wages by Frank Mauro, September 1999, 3 pp. 1996 and 1997 Minimum Wage Hikes Boosted Earnings Without Job Loss: Low-income Families Reap Benefits as Intended, May 18, 1998. (Press Release)



	since 9/20/06