The movement for higher, more livable wages extends far beyond Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s campaign promise to raise New York City’s minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030. Amidst the ongoing affordability crisis, the push for increased wages has been ongoing at both the state and national levels.
According to a survey from the Lake Research Partners, commissioned by One Fair Wage (OFW) and the Living Wage for All Coalition, voters in swing congressional districts show strong support for raising the minimum wage over a period of several years for all workers, including tipped workers, to $25 an hour. This includes Democrats (74%), women (60%), voters under age 40 (59%), and people of color (64%), particularly Latinos (72%).
The National Living Wage for All Coalition includes more than 100 labor, community, and civil rights organizations dedicated to advancing living wage legislation. They are supporting bills in nine states to raise wages for workers and implementing a federal minimum wage of $25 an hour.
Currently, a congressional bill moving through the legislature called Raise the Wage Act of 2025, introduced by U.S Senator Bernie Sanders, would mandate a federal minimum wage of $17.
New York State is already close to that. Governor Kathy Hochul raised the state minimum to $16.50 per hour this January in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island counties. It’s $15.50-per-hour for the rest of the state.
“We’re in an affordability crisis, it’s undeniable. It has to be the top issue for legislators at every level,” said One Fair Wage President Saru Jayaraman. “And I think one of the things that’s been frustrating for us is that a lot of the conversation about affordability has been focused on reducing costs rather than raising wages. And that in part is because some legislators are afraid to talk about raising wages because of the opposition from the restaurant industry.”
“The overall goal for advocates at the city and state level is to get to $30 an hour for all workers, including tipped and disabled workers, by 2030. The increases would happen incrementally over the course of the next five years so that big businesses can acclimate. The timeline may be longer for smaller businesses with less than 50 to 100 employees,” said Jayaraman.
The general opposition to raising the city and state wages comes from small businesses that rely on labor and have a handful of employees. They argue that higher wages lead to raised prices, raising the cost of living for others. They also claim the domino effect will lead to fewer customers, layoffs, and lower tips for workers.
This week, OFW launched the New York Legislator Worker Caucus. Members of the caucus, like former Assemblymember Michael Blake and Councilmember Sandy Nurse, signed the Workers Caucus Pledge. The caucus is a statewide political effort of the Make America Affordable Now PAC. “Both city and state legislators who are committed to and signed a pledge that they are going to stand up for workers fighting for a livable wage over corporate trade lobbies or corporate interests, like the National Restaurant Association and its New York State affiliates,” said Jayaraman.
Assemblymember Brian Cunningham said, “Raising the living wage is not just an economic adjustment; it is a moral commitment to the dignity of workers across New York. For Black and Brown communities who make up a significant share of our state’s essential workforce and who have historically been underpaid despite driving our economy — raising the wage floor is a direct investment in stability, mobility, and generational opportunity. As a proud member of the Workers Caucus Pledge, I believe any serious conversation about the future of New York’s economy must include a living wage that keeps pace with the real cost of living. When we uplift working-class families, we strengthen our neighborhoods, support local businesses, and build a more equitable and resilient New York for all.”
Another Lake Research Partners survey indicated that NYC voters were very supportive of $30 an hour, especially Black voters (85%) and Latino voters (75%).
Jayaraman said that under local sovereignty, Mamdani could deliver on his campaign promise of a $30 wage for workers. “Mamdani could join us in calling for the state to pass a law allowing cities to raise the wage for everybody and then have the power to do that at the local level also,” said Jayaraman.