Consumed by what appears to be a losing battle over his universal pre-kindergarten strategy, Mayor Bill de Blasio seems to be moving one of his signature issues to the backburner. De Blasio had called on Albany to allow New York City to set its own minimum wage because of the difference in the cost of living between the city and the rest of the state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo quickly opposed the idea and the leadership in the Senate appears to be uninterested. When de Blasio traveled to Albany last week he failed to mention the minimum wage measure and focused on pre-k. Sen. Jeffrey Klein, who has allied with de Blasio on other issues, told the New York Times in an interview that he did not plan to press for the minimum wage increase. Lawmakers appear to be unwilling to revisit the staggered wage increase they implemented last year.
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