The Fast Food Wage Board appointed by Governor Cuomo approved raising workers' minimum hourly wage to $15/hour, a 70% increase.
Tsedeye Gebreselassie, senior staff attorney with the National Employment Law Project, and fast food worker Jason Rice explain what the higher pay will mean for the city and beyond.
Then Randy Mastro, partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, representing the Save NY Restaurants Coalition in its planned lawsuit against the Fast Food Wage Board decision, as well as former deputy mayor of NYC, responds on behalf of the fast food franchise owners to the wage hike decision.
Fast food workers' median wage is $9.04/hr. @tsedeye calls $15/hr decision "a great step in the right direction." pic.twitter.com/iF4wZQImkx
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) July 23, 2015
Fast food worker stereotype is a teen says Jason Rice. "I’ve been to college, had my own business. I needed a job + fastfood was available."
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) July 23, 2015
Peter in Levittown (partner in franchise): margins are tight. Raising hourly wages could force us to drop from 20 employees to 12/13.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) July 23, 2015
@BrianLehrer @tsedeye was a retail mgr for 13 yrs lost 90% of best employees to other retail jobs because they could made $1 more. #turnover
— Jarkowsky (@jarkowsky) July 23, 2015
Randy Mastro (representing small business owners against the wage hike): owners are struggling, can’t afford to pay 66% increase in wages.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) July 23, 2015
Randy Mastro's also defending @Univision in Trump suit. When pressed, he declines to comment, laughing. Brian: Aw c’mon! Gimme something!
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) July 23, 2015