Elected officials are making another push to raise the minimum wage for fast food workers.
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and other leaders gathered outside City Hall to launch a national petition to help boost wages to $15 an hour.
Supporters say the current wage of $8.75 is especially difficult for women trying to make a living in the city.
"The vast majority of fast food workers are women, and the reality is that they're not teenage girls—these are women with children," said Public Advocate Letitia James.
"I just can't afford anything and the women—they have more responsibility than me. They have single mothers with kids and you can't survive off that," said McDonald's employee Joel Ware.
Organizers say they plan to send their petition to the governor.
Cuomo has convened a wage board which is debating a hike in the minimum wage for those workers.