National Restaurant Association Is Fighting the Minimum Wage Law in Court

The National Restaurant Association is officially taking New York's minimum wage law to court, it announced Friday. Last week, the Industrial Board of Appeals ruled that Governor Andrew Cuomo's decision to raise the state's minimum wage to $15-per-hour was legal, rejecting an appeal from the NRA. The restaurant industry organization promised to continue fighting it, saying that Cuomo's decision to avoid lawmakers in implementing the wage increase was "blatant executive overreach." On Friday, the NRA filed a formal appeal against the state board in New York State Supreme Court. "We have said time and again, Governor Cuomo and Labor Commissioner [Maria] Musolino discriminated against the hard working men and women that own New York’s restaurants," Angelo Amador, regulatory counsel for the group, says in a statement.

The Industrial Board of Appeals, which is picked by Cuomo, said last week that the minimum wage increase follows the state's current labor statues. The rule requires just fast food workers to receive $15-per-hour in a few years, but it's having a domino effect on all sorts of restaurants, which have been saying they must soon compete for talent with chains that offer higher pay. Current minimum wage is $8.75, and the gradual increases start next year. The restaurant association is arguing that the decision to increase minimum wage was unprecedented and unfairly targets the industry. With this formal appeal, the group is "hopeful New York’s small business owners will finally have a voice in this process," Amador says.