New York plans to raise minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 an hour

New York is planning to raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $15 an hour.

According to The New York Times, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's panel recommended that "the minimum wage be raised for employees of fast-food chain restaurants throughout the state to $15 an hour over the next few years."

New York City employees' wages would be raised first, as the cost of living is higher there than in the rest of the state.

"When New York acts, the rest of the states follow," said Gov. Cuomo. "We've always been different, always been first, always been the most progressive."

Last month, the Los Angeles City Council agreed to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, according to The Los Angeles Times.

New York fast-food workers began protesting their wages nearly three years ago. These workers argued that multinational corporations, such as McDonald's, do not pay enough to keep their employees from relying on welfare and food stamps.

Gov. Cuomo tweeted that New Yorkers "cannot live and support a family on $18,000."

You cannot live and support a family on $18,000 in the State of NY, period. That's why we have to raise the minimum wage.

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) July 22, 2015

The minimum wage in New York State is currently $8.75 an hour, meaning that the $15 wage would be a 71.4 percent wage increase for those who currently make minimum wage.