August 27, 2015
By Steve Wishnia and Neal Tepel
The chair of the Ulster County Legislature in upstate New York wants to raise the minimum wage for county workers to $15 per hour, saying that if it’s good enough for fast-food workers, it’s good enough for “the people that work in infirmaries cleaning bedpans, and all the other folks."
"I think it's time to send a message out that people need to be compensated fairly," John Perele told the Albany Times-Union. The county would not need approval from Albany to raise wages for its own employees, but Perele estimated there are only about 6 to 10 county workers who make less than $15. Suffolk and Westchester counties have set minimum wages for employees of some outside contractors, but both are less than $15.
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