Cuomo urges wage compliance

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Friday warned employers to comply with the new minimum wage or face “fines, charges and civil or even criminal punishment.”

The state’s minimum wage rose to $8 an hour on Dec. 31, from $7.25.

Since then, 374 cases have been opened based on employee complaints of minimum wage and overtime violations, the governor, said in a statement.

“It is a crime for businesses not to pay employees properly, and those flouting the law will be held accountable,” Gov. Cuomo said.

And he added, “Any employer with questions should contact the Department of Labor directly. Any worker who believes they are not being paid their proper wage should contact the department immediately so that authorities can take swift action.”

For those contact numbers and more on the state minimum click here.