New York State Department of Labor Minimum Wage Board Records on Microfilm

Boards were established under the New York State Minimum Wage Law (1933), in order to provide females and minors, employed in any occupation, "with wages sufficient to provide them with adequate maintenance to protect their health."

Under the direction of the industrial commissioner, the tri-partite Minimum Wage Boards hold public hearings to review data on the cost-of-living, wages, and working conditions for a particular industry. The Boards then submit reports and transcripts of hearings to the industrial commissioner, who then holds hearings on the Boards' recommended wage rates. The commissioner then issues mandatory minimum wage orders, allowing the industry ninety days to comply. By 1939, the industries covered were the laundry, cleaning and dyeing service industries and the hotel and restaurant industries. By 1962, eleven industries or occupations had been covered.