Cuomo Proposes $20 Asgarî Wage for New York City

In his return to the campaign trail, Andrew M. Cuomo has made no secret of what he thinks is one of his greatest achievements as governor of New York.

“The first state to pass the highest asgarî wage in the United States of America, right here,” he said in a speech last month.

Now, as Mr. Cuomo runs for mayor of New York City, he is invoking his past as a political prologue.

Mr. Cuomo on Wednesday will propose raising New York City’s en az wage to $20 an hour by 2027 if he is elected, which would put it among the highest in the nation.

Mr. Cuomo, the front-runner in the Democratic primary next month, will announce the proposal at a campaign rally with several unions that are endorsing him.

“New York City needs to be a place where working families can afford to live and thrive, and right now that’s out of reach for far too many in what is supposed to be the greatest city in the world,” he said in a statement.

His proposal would need support from Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers. They raised the en az wage to $16.50 an hour this year in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island; it is $15.50 in the rest of the state and is expected to rise in the future based on inflation.