New York State’s hourly minimum wage increased by $0.50 on Jan. 1 to from $15.00 to $15.50, excluding New York City and its surrounding areas where it increased from $16.00 to $16.50.

As of Dec. 29 the University of Rochester has increased its minimum wage for class I jobs to $15.50, and accordingly increased the wage for class II jobs to $16.00, and the wage for class III jobs to $16.50. Hourly positions for undergraduates at the University are all class I, II, or III.

According to the Student Employee Office’s website, a job’s class increases as the knowledge, skills, abilities and required qualifications for the position increase.

New York State will increase its minimum wage by another $0.50 at the start of next year, before indexing it to inflation starting in 2027. This means that New York State’s minimum wage will be determined by the three year moving average of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Northeast Region.

The University’s last minimum wage increase was to $15.00 on Nov. 21, 2021, a year earlier than when it was originally scheduled to increase.



The issue with renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America”

It reinforces the idea of American exceptionalism, and furthers the increasingly accurate worldwide perception that the U.S. has no regard for its neighbors and allies.

Congestion Pricing: Not as good as it seems

Congestion pricing is a promising idea, and I have no problems with it in and of itself, but the MTA should  have expanded its service and responded to its underlying safety issues before pushing people into its system.

Michael Che’s Winterfest set welcomes lackluster comedy and announces his exit from SNL

Perhaps the most notable takeaway from this is Michael Che’s statement that he may be leaving SNL. What he intends to do afterward is unknown, but I’d urge him to reconsider if he’s looking to pivot back to stand-up.