Assemblyman William Colton (D-47th A.D.) is happy to announce the launch of the RaisethewageNY.com website and its online petition capabilities. The Bensonhurst/Gravesend/Dyker Heights legislator said there was a need to establish the website to give the public access to important information regarding the Assembly Majority’s legislation efforts to raise the minimum wage in New York State and build grassroots support for the plan.

“With this new website taxpayers can not only learn firsthand of this economic godsend to many, but can petition directly to Albany for its passage” said Assemblyman Colton. Over the last five years, the minimum wage has increased by only 10 cents per hour, while New York families have seen huge increases in the cost of living. Currently, working families struggle to sustain a household - let alone invest in their children's futures or save for their retirement - with a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

The Assembly Majority’s legislation would raise the minimum wage in New York from $7.25 to $8.50 per hour for minimum-wage workers and from $5.00 to $5.86 per hour for tip-workers starting January 2013. Additionally, the minimum wage would be linked to the rate of inflation beginning January 2014 (A.9148).

“RaisethewageNY.com provides our near poverty level families with need-to-know facts about raising the minimum wage in New York,” Assemblyman Colton said. “And the petition gives them the opportunity to show their support for this issue.”

Currently, 18 other states and the District of Columbia have higher minimum wages than New York, including the neighboring states of Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts.

“New York isn’t typically a state that lags behind, but rather one that leads by example,” Colton said. “Providing hardworking families with a fair wage for full-time work is vital to our economic rebound. It’s time we restore the spirit of shared prosperity and fairness by rewarding those who work.”

Research shows that states with a minimum wage above the federal level have a faster total job growth than in lower minimum-wage states. In fact, the federal increase in the minimum wage in July 2009 was estimated to have generated $5.5 billion in consumer spending.

“Raising the minimum wage not only benefits our workers, but also our small businesses and local economies,” Assemblyman Colton said. “Increasing New Yorkers’ purchasing power will have substantial short- and long-term benefits, including giving a much-needed boost to Brooklyn’s economy.”

Raising the minimum wage in New York State would benefit more than 1 million New Yorkers, providing them with a better quality of life, the feisty Assemblyman added.

To learn more about the “Raise the Wage, NY” campaign, or to sign the petition, please visit raisethewageNY.com or call my office at 718 236-1598. My Community Office Staff at 155 Kings Highway is always eager and ready to help you!