ALBANY — More than three-quarters of New York State voters support a proposal by Democrats in the Legislature to raise the minimum wage to $8.50 per hour from $7.25, according to a new poll released on Monday.

The poll (pdf), conducted by Siena College from May 6 to 10, found broad support for what has emerged as the highest-profile issue in the closing weeks of this year’s legislative session, which is scheduled to conclude in six weeks.

Democrats and independent voters were strongly supportive of raising the minimum wage, the poll found, with 88 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of independents in support. And while the Republican majority in the State Senate has derided the proposal as a job killer, a majority of Republican voters – 58 percent – said they supported it, as did 64 percent of voters who described themselves as politically conservative.

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This weekend has many of us scrambling to figure out how to honor Mom.

Should we give her flowers? Take her to brunch?

For too many New York mothers straining to make ends meet, the best gift they could receive is an increase in the minimum wage.

Read more.

Raising the minimum wage has broad support among New Yorkers – including Republicans – according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.

Overall, 78% of New York voters favor a hike in the $7.25 hourly wage, while only 20% oppose it, the poll found.

Even a majority of Republicans, 53%, agreed that the wage should be increased.

Of those who supported an increase, 37% favored raising it to $8.50 an hour and 52% wanted it even higher.

“New York is a liberal state on labor matters,” said Quinnipiac Polling Director Maurice Carroll.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) has made boosting the minimum wage a top priority of the Assembly Democratic conference. Silver wants to increase the wage to $8.50 an hour with automatic future raises tied to inflation. Read more.

More than 350,000 New York City residents, and a total of 1 million statewide, would get a raise if the minimum wage were $8.50, found the Fiscal Policy Institute. Read more.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said he believes Gov. Cuomo would ultimately sign a bill to hike the minimum wage to $8.50 an hour.

“I would think that he would if it got through the Legislature,” Silver said told Brian Lehrer on WNYC public radio. Read more in the Daily Politics from the New York Daily News.

In this powerful editorial which endorses increasing the minimum wage in  New York, Crain’s writes that a “statewide measure would maintain a level playing field.” Read the full piece.

The potential minimum wage increase from $7.25 to $8.50 is welcomed news for many workers trying to pay bills and keep their families afloat. WNYC’s Cindy Rodriguez looks at the impact that raising the minimum wage would have amongst the working poor in New York City. Read more.