NY plans $15 minimum wage for fast-food workers

New York state on Wednesday voted to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the fast-food sector, a key victory in a long-running workers campaign for living wages. A three-person panel appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state's current minimum wage of $8.75 an hour should be increased to $15, a raise of more than 71 percent. Cuomo had indicated he would follow the panel's recommendation. "What a great, great day," Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a press conference with the leaders of the $15 campaign. The wage increase will be phased in, starting with fast-food chain restaurants operating in New York City. They are due to meet the new minimum wage by 2018, while elsewhere in the state fast-food restaurants will have until 2021 to comply.