Minimum Wage and the New York Department of Labor

Notable Minimum Wage Quotes

“Imagine how bad the minimum wage must be if, like, employers are beating the government to raising it”

“We want to make some good [minimum wage] law in New York state. Because there is some bad law on the federal level…”

New York Minimum Wage Discussion Transcript

What’s funny about our line of work is we boil these things down to these clinicals sort of legal argument that because there might be an even– because assuming there’s an even legal argument, there’s not even moral argument. And were–

Exactly.

So it was a way–

You know, the Department of Labor– the New York State Department of Labor I think is pretty good. I mean from– you know, Richard just pointed something out. Thank you, Richard, the engineer.

You know, the minimum wage for tipped employees is just about to go up in New York state. And I think that was just being discussed up in Albany today with Deblazio and Walmart too. Yeah, you know, it’s interesting.

I was thinking today about how some of the retail giants, I think Walmart or Walgreens or one of the Wals else is raising their base pay. And that’s causing other retailers to raise their wages. I find it depressing that we live in an era where the public sector is raising wages, like, on their own without any pressure from the government. I mean, can you imagine–

You mean the private sector.

Yeah, the privatize.

Yeah, I was–

Sorry. I mean, can you, like, imagine how bad the minimum wage must be if, like, employers are beating the government to raising it. They’re, like, I just, I can’t do this in good faith anymore.

Yeah.

Meanwhile, you know, the House and Senate can’t raise the minimum wage.

Yeah, no. But I do think that there’s rising awareness about these issues. And I do think that consumers who are conscientious and– look, the majority are not. The majority are, you know, rightfully still just looking for the best bargain.

It’s hard not to.

But there’s plenty of people out there who are now looking. And I mean, I always hear people talk about, they love to go to Costco as opposed to Walmart. Because they like it better. But also, they have– they pay like a minimum wage of, like, $10 or $11 an hour, you know? As opposed to–

You live in bougie Washington Heights. No, I don’t hear from– actually, I don’t have one. It’s something I heard more of in Brooklyn because there’s the Costco in Brooklyn. And people love that.

Bougie and Washington Heights aren’t usually in one sentence. But Brooklyn and bougie I believe are the same word, actually.

And sort of along those lines, just today there’s in the paper that– it’s hard to say. I don’t know if the paper was being critical of what she said. I certainly felt it was sort of perhaps a little bit inartful the quote. But Senator Velmanette Montgomery, who’s the state senator that covers actually where our office is. And she’s great in a lot of ways.

She’s done a lot of good stuff. But she also covers Fort Greene and Clinton Hill and Brooklyn. And they just closed down the Key Foods on Lafayette Avenue going towards into Clinton Hill.

Right.

And she said we need, like, Key Foods. And she said black– she said, black people don’t eat like white people. And I knew exactly what she meant. And in fact, what’s going– they’re going to build a condo, condominium, high rise, whatever. But–

I know where that is. That’s right before you really start to hit almost Bedsty, right?

Yeah. It’s kind of deep in there.

You want to hit some music?

Yeah, why don’t we hit music? But why don’t you– I think what a good idea would be is sort of to go through your list again there and then ask if anybody out there feels that they might have an issue with this. Kind of give us a call, right? You know , right now, and call in.

Yeah you can call us in the studio 914-636-9847 363-WVIP. You know, I think as far as legal advice, I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. We’ll figure it out during the break what we can discuss and not.

But please call. So yeah, if you have any questions about whether you should be getting over time or you work more than 40 hours and you’re not like a doctor, call in. Again, the studio is 914-636-WVIP or 9847. You know, if you get deductions out of your paycheck that you’re really not sure about, if you’re forced to wait around a work for, like, a security check before you can go home but you got to punch out before that security check, man please call us.

We want to make that case. We want to make some good law in New York state. Because there is some bad law on the federal level on that. So call us. Leo, what do you got?

Coming up, Richard. Let’s cue the first song on the CD. It’s Justin Hinds and the Dominoes. It’s a classic. It was a number one hit in Jamaica. in 1963.

All right, this is going to Domino’s.

Yes. “Carry Go Bring Come,” Justin Hinds.

Oh, we’re back. That was awesome.

That’s so much fun. It really was.

Leo, folks. I think he talked about it on the radio. But he’s got a grab and go little record player.

It runs on, like, three 9 volt batteries and was made in 1972 and it’s great. And he was playing these singles for me the other night on this little machine, man. It was really– it was cool.

Yeah, I know. With that record player and the old records, I’m getting it Deadly Dragon, Everybody go, Forsyth Street, Manhattan. it’s like going back– going back to another– going back in time to another place. It’s fun, man.

Hey, was it you that telling me to read the book–

Except it’s 15 degrees out.

Right.

It has been for four years.

Was it you who told me to read the book, was it Seven Killings or something like that? Somebody else was just telling me about that book. And then I was, like, yeah, somebody else was just telling me about that book.

Yeah. It’s a great book and we’ve recommended it to our listeners. I would only suggest that– be a little selective about the parts of the book that you read before you go to sleep. It was– parts were pretty rough. Pretty rough.