New York State employers must pay an increased minimum salary for exempt employees effective December 31, 2016. The NYS Labor Department on December 28 adopted a rule increasing the minimum salary for exempt executive and administrative employees in upstate New York from $675.00 weekly to $727.50 weekly ($37,830 annually). The minimum exempt employee salary for New York City and Long Island is higher.
The proposed U.S. Department of Labor regulations which would have increased the minimum salary for exempt employees to $913.00 weekly are still on hold because of the injunction issued by a Federal Judge in Texas. The Labor Department has appealed this ruling, but it is questionable whether this challenge to the injunction will continue after Donald Trump takes office.
Also, on December 31, 2016 the minimum wage for upstate New York will increase to $9.70 per hour, and the upstate fast food minimum wage will increase to $10.75 per hour.