Push to increase minimum wage in Tompkins County

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) ---Right now all of upstate, including Tompkins County has a $15 an hour minimum wage.

While it’s set to increase by $.50 in each of the next two years, Pete Meyers Director of Tompkins County Workers Center, said that isn’t enough. 

"It doesn’t help people meet their basic needs," said Meyers. "Living wage is comprised of what’s considered to be people’s basic needs and people are having to live outside of Tompkins County."

While Meyers would like to see the minimum wage increase to $24, he said realistically, he’d be happy to have it set at $18. 

 A handful of Tompkins County legislators worked on a resolution to increase the minimum wage. It was recently introduced, but it could be a while for it to become law. 

"Probably months from now, we will hopefully have a local law draft, then will go through local law process where the legislature has to vote in committee to put it forward to a public hearing," explained Veronica Pillar, a county legislator.

The question is, can a county set its own minimum wage? Pillar brought up a 1962 court decision involving New York City.  

"It was ruled, this was in New York State Court, that a locality cannot set its own wage higher than the states."

However, Pillar and other supporters of the resolution believe the passage of time could on their side this time around.