Joseph Spector

Albany Bureau Chief

ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday said a $15 an hour minimum wage in New York would lead to a national push for higher salaries for low-income workers.

Cuomo started a bus tour as part of his "Fight for $15" minimum wage in New York. The bus, packed with elected officials and union leaders, started in Manhattan and was headed Tuesday to the Bronx and Long Island. It's expected to visit upstate over the next few days and weeks.

"We know the problem. The problem is an economy that is polarizing wealth and polarizing opportunity in a way we’ve never seen before," Cuomo said at the Manhattan kickoff.

Cuomo is seeking to raise the minimum wage from $9 an hour to $15 an hour by 2018 in New York City and 2021 statewide. The measure, though, is being opposed by business groups, and Senate Republicans have been reluctant to back it in advance of budget talks for the fiscal year that starts April 1.

State GOP chairman Ed Cox charged that Cuomo should take the bus and talk to struggling businesses.

"Instead of spending time inside union halls, Governor Cuomo should take his bus to the Main Streets across New York and speak to small business owners about the crushing impact a 67 percent increase in the minimum wage would have on them," he said in a statement.

Cuomo said New York could lead the way for higher wages and beat back income inequality in the nation. The Democratic governor also is seeking a 12-week paid-family leave.

"This is not just a New York problem. It is a national problem, but when we pass $15 an hour, and we pass paid-family leave, we’re going to say to this country: The dream is not dead. The dream is alive in New York. We have the Statute of Liberty in our harbor," Cuomo said.

"We’ll make it happen here in New York, and you’ll see that wave go across the country," he continued.

Cuomo has in the past used his bully pulpit to press for national change through New York policies, such as legalizing same-sex marriage in 2011 and stronger gun-control laws in 2013.

His efforts, however, has also drawn speculation that he continues to eye a national profile for himself as a possible presidential candidate at some point.

Cuomo rejected the talk, saying he has sought a progressive social agenda coupled with fiscal austerity since taking office in 2011.

"You can be both," he told reporters Tuesday. "You can be socially progressive and you can be economically responsible. And we have done both."

As for considering a presidential run, Cuomo responded: "Zero. I have given it zero thought. Is that clear enough as an answer?”

Cuomo has taken bus tours in the past, including in 2010 when he was first running for governor and again when he was seeking a second term in 2014 for women's rights issues.

The group leading the $15 an hour push, called the Mario Cuomo Campaign for Economic Justice , said Cox was off base by criticizing the trip.

"We believe in a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and it's sad that the state GOP seems to be in line with Donald Trump, who thinks wages are already too high," the group said in a statement.