By Madina Toure
Although Queens lawmakers and employees praised the proposed $15 minimum wage for fast-food workers in the state, some are upset about the decision to leave out other industries.
The Fast Food Wage Board, appointed by Acting State Commissioner of Labor Mario Musolino, voted 3-0 to raise the minimum wage for fast-food chain employees to $15 by December 2018 in New York City and by July 2021 for the rest of the state.
Fast-food worker Sujaya Roy, a cashier at Dunkin Donuts in Bayside who is studying aviation management at York College, earns $9 an hour and works 40 hours a week.
She said the new wage will permit her to focus on her studies and work less hours, but will hurt employers.
“Obviously it’s good for the employees but obviously not for the store,” Roy said.
John Amanatis, 45, who has owned the Mediterranean Grill, a grilled-food stand on Bell and Northern boulevards, for 18 years, said he pays a woman who cuts lettuce for him $15 an hour.
“Everyone needs at lest $15 an hour,” Amanatis said.
The minimum wage is currently $8.75 an hour in the state and will increase to $9 by the end of the year.
In May, Gov. Andrew Cuomo instructed Musolino to empanel a wage board to investigate and make recommendations on an increase in the minimum wage in the fast-food industry, which has chains with 30 or more locations.
The board approved the recommendations Monday. After a 15-day public comment period, Musolino can accept, reject or modify the board’s recommendations and file a wage order.
State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) said the decision will affect his constituents in a “huge way,” noting that people in his district earn an average of $35,000 a year, with some making less.
He questioned fast-food restaurant owners’ concerns about the decision hurting their bottom line, noting that the new minimum wage will put more money into the economy.
But he does not expect the all industries to receive the $15 minimum wage for a long time.
“It will take a lot of prodding and a lot of political will to push the minimum wage,” Peralta said.
People outside of the fast-food industry say everyone should receive a minimum-wage increase.
Anthony Pham, 20, who has been working at Caffé Bene in Bayside for two months, earned $8.25 an hour when he worked as a packager and occasional bus boy at the Kyoto Sushi restaurant at 153-11 Union Turnpike.
“I think a restaurant job is a lot harder than a fast-food job,” Pham said.
Flushing resident Gabriel Kouloumbes, 28, a plumber, worked as a waiter at Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck from 2006 to 2008. He earned $10 an hour as a waiter, along with tips.
“I don’t think it’s right that it’s limited just to fast food,” Kouloumbes said.
State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows) sponsored the Fair Wages Act, which calls for a $15 minimum wage for employees who work in big-box stores, or stores with 11 or more stores in New York.
She called the recommendation a good first step but said workers in all industries should be given opportunities to advance.
“A hard day’s work deserves a living wage,” Rozic said. “Certainly men and women across Queens go to work. They struggle every day to support themselves.
State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing) blamed Senate Republicans for blocking a statewide minimum-wage increase.
She said that fast-food outlets in Flushing are always crowded so the effect will be people earning the minimum wage using the extra money to purchase locally.
“It should have been done for all workers, for everybody, but this is obviously a good start,” Stavisky said. “If you’re mopping a floor in McDonald’s, there’s no difference than if you’re mopping a floor in a restaurant, and you’re paid minimum wage.”
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
