NY Board To Finalize Report On Fast Food Worker Wage Hike

NEW YORK (AP) — New York's wage board is expected to finalize a report endorsing a $15 minimum wage for fast-food workers.

The three-member board will meet Monday in Albany. It is recommending the increase to the state labor commissioner.

A public comment period will be required before the commissioner makes the final decision.

The wage hike, which has the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, applies to fast-food workers in restaurants with 30 or more locations. It would be gradually phased in over three years in New York City and six years elsewhere.

Franchise owners say the hike is unfair because it targets only fast-food workers.

The increase won't apply to low-wage workers in other industries. The state's minimum wage is now $8.75 an hour and will rise to $9 at year's end.