New York
Minimum wage: $16.50 (NYC/LI/Westchester), $15.50 upstate · Not a right-to-work state
Overtime rules
Federal weekly rule (1.5x over 40 hrs/week); spread-of-hours pay may add an hour's pay for long days
Federal law is the floor everywhere: 1.5x your regular rate for every hour past 40 in a workweek. Where state law pays more, the state rule wins.
Run the numbers for your weekLabor board contact
New York State Dept. of Labor, Division of Labor Standards
Federal option: US DOL Wage and Hour complaint · 1-866-487-9243
Union rights here
New York is not a right-to-work state. Where a union contract includes a union security clause, covered workers can be required to pay dues or a fair-share fee (public-sector workers are exempt under Janus).
Private-sector organizing is governed by the National Labor Relations Act and enforced by the NLRB. Public employees (state, city, school, transit) are covered by New York state law instead, which sets its own bargaining rules.
It is illegal for your employer to fire, cut hours, or threaten you for talking with coworkers about pay or organizing.
Organizing help
Minimum wage and rule details change. Confirm current figures with New York State Dept. of Labor, Division of Labor Standards before relying on them.