Double NYC Minimum Wage To $30, Democratic Socialist Pol Says

NEW YORK — New York City's minimum wage just hit $15 an hour — but one aspiring official wants to double it. Nomiki Konst, a democratic socialist candidate for public advocate, announced a proposal Thursday to require big companies — and the city itself — to pay workers at least $30 an hour.

Konst, an investigative journalist and progressive activist, argues the move would put New York on the vanguard of the fight against income inequality.

"As the city with the worst income disparity in the country, New York will not turn that around by following the lead of other parts of the country where the cost of living is much lower," Konst said in a statement. "It has to lead, and a $30 minimum wage is the way to do it ."

Konst, of Astoria, is among more than 20 candidates reportedly vying to succeed Letitia James as public advocate in a Feb. 26 special election. She'll be on the ballot under the "Pay Folks More" party line, her campaign says.

The minimum wage in the city rose to $15 an hour for employers with at least 11 workers on Dec. 31 under a law Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed in 2016. Other cities such as San Francisco and Seattle have adopted $15-per-hour wage floors, and a majority of Americans reportedly support implementing one on the federal level.

Konst wants to boost New York City’s rate to $30 an hour by the end of 2020, her campaign website says. The measure would immediately apply to municipal workers, businesses with at least 75 employees and firms that have city contracts, according to a news release from her campaign.

The release did not give specifics about how Konst would implement the increase. The most recent minimum wage hikes went through the state Legislature. As public advocate Konst could introduce legislation to the City Council but would have no direct sway over bills in Albany.

Konst called the $15 minimum a “great success,” but said it is “frankly not enough for any family to pay their rent anywhere in the US.”

While figures vary by location, the nationwide living wage for a family of four was $16.14 per hour in 2018, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Manhattan has a significantly higher rate at $22.15, the university’s figures show.

“[A]t the core of Democratic Socialism is the idea that the ability to shape our living conditions is in our hands,” Konst said. “Paying working people more is one of the most obvious ways we can achieve that, and as one of the richest cities in the world, we’re more than capable of leading the way.”

(Lead image: Nomiki Konst is seen on May 15, 2017. Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)