With the new year comes new laws, including an increase in the minimum wage around the tri-state. News 4’s Adam Harding reports.
The beginning of 2024 is around the corner, and workers in the tri-state area will see an increase in their minimum wage.
Workers will be able to see that raise in their checks starting January 1, 2024. Below we explain how much it will be.
NEW YORK
Starting January 1, 2024, New York's minimum wage will increase to $16 per hour in New York City, Westchester and Long Island, and $15 per hour for the rest of the state. Raising New York's minimum wage to keep pace with inflation will benefit hundreds of thousands of minimum wage workers across the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
“On January 1, we are lifting New York’s minimum wage to help hard-working New Yorkers keep up with rising costs and continue supporting their families,” the Democrat said. “If you are a minimum wage worker and you don’t see this increase in your paycheck next year, I urge you to file a wage complaint with the Department of Labor to make sure that you are getting the wage increase you deserve.”
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As part of the FY 2024 Budget, Hochul secured a historic agreement to increase New York’s minimum wage through 2026 and index it to inflation beginning in 2027. After the initial increase, the minimum wage will increase by $0.50 in 2025 and 2026. In 2027, the minimum wage will increase annually at a rate determined by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Northeast Region – the best regional measure of inflation.
How to file a complaint if I don't get the increase
Workers who don't see the increase reflected in their paychecks can file a wage complaint on the New York State Department of Labor website or by calling 833-910-4378. You can also visit this website.
Where can I find more information?
NEW JERSEY
New Jersey’s statewide minimum wage will increase by $1 to $15.13 per hour for most employees on Jan. 1, 2024. This achieves – and exceeds – the goal set by legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in February 2019 to raise the minimum wage to at least $15 per hour by 2024 for most employees.
Under the law, seasonal and small employers were given until 2026 to reach $15 per hour to lessen the impact on their businesses. The minimum hourly wage for these employees will increase to $13.73 per hour on Jan. 1, up from $12.93.
Agricultural workers are guided by a separate minimum wage timetable and were given until 2027 to reach the $15 per hour minimum wage. Employees who work on a farm for an hourly or piece-rate wage will see their minimum hourly wage increase to $12.81, up from $12.01. Additionally, long-term care facility direct care staff will see their minimum wage rise by $1, to $18.13/hour.
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) sets the minimum wage for the coming year using either the rate specified in the law or a calculation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is higher. Once the minimum wage reaches $15 per hour in January, the state Constitution specifies that it continues to increase annually based on any increase in the CPI.
Tipped workers' cash wage will remain at $5.26 per hour, with employers able to claim a $9.87 tip credit, an increase of $1. If the minimum cash wage plus an employee’s tips do not equal at least the state minimum wage, then the employer must pay the employee the difference.
On Jan. 1, Murphy released a joint statement with the lieutenant governor and state legislative leaders saying," Today, over 350,000 hourly workers will benefit from this much needed boost in earnings -- a long and hard fought victory for working families across our state."
For more on the rights and protections of tipped workers, click here.
How to file a complaint if I don't get the increase
Workers who don't see the increase reflected in their paychecks can file a complaint here.
Where can I find more information
CONNECTICUT
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, Connecticut’s minimum wage will increase from the current rate of $15.00 per hour to $15.69 per hour as a result of the state’s first-ever economic indicator adjustment.
This newly enacted adjustment is required under a state law Gov. Ned Lamont signed in 2019 (Public Act 19-4), which implemented five incremental increases in the minimum wage between 2019 and 2023, followed by future adjustments that are tied to the percentage change in the federal employment cost index.
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, and occurring annually each January 1 thereafter, the state’s minimum wage will be adjusted according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s calculation of the employment cost index for the 12 months ending on June 30 of the preceding year. The law requires the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor to review this percentage change and then announce any adjustments by October 15 of each year. The minimum wage adjustments become effective on the next January 1.
Connecticut Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo reports that the employment cost index increased by 4.6% over the 12 months ending on June 30, 2023, accounting for a $0.69 increase to the state’s minimum wage that will become effective on January 1, 2024.
