Call on Assembly and Senate to improve on governor’s wage proposal in one-house budgets
Albany, NY – Everyone agrees that New York’s current minimum wage isn’t enough to support a family on, and workers and advocates from the Raise Up NY coalition on Monday said that the governor’s proposal to raise the wage to $10.50 wouldn’t change that.
Low-wage workers from across the state stood with community and labor groups to call on the state Assembly and Senate to raise the minimum wage to $15 in their budget resolutions, which are expected to be released early this week.
“I work about 40 hours a week at Wendy’s, and am a single mother of two. A raise to $10.50 will help, but it’s still not enough. What we really need is $15 an hour – a living wage,” said Erika Peterson, 28, of Rochester.
The advocates’ proposal would put New York’s minimum wage on a path to $15 and then adjusted yearly to keep up with the cost of living. A higher wage tier would cover high-cost areas of the state, like New York City, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester.
“The cost of living in New York State is very high and much higher in New York City and suburbs like Long Island. Every year, basic things like food and rent goes up, but our wages are stuck,” said Maria Teneseca, a low-wage worker who is a member of Make the Road New York. “I struggle every week to put food on the table and support my family because $9 an hour isn’t enough – and what the governor is proposing isn’t either.”
A $15 minimum wage also has widespread support among the general public.
According to a poll released by the National Employment Law Project in January, 73 percent of those polled in the Northeast supported raising the minimum wage to $15 over five years – a full 10 percentage points higher than support raising the wage to $11.
Ninety percent of people who would see an increase in wages if a $15 minimum wage were adopted would be over the age of 20 – 55 percent of them would be women, and 50 percent people of color, said advocates.
“I was working in retail and going to college at the same time, but I had to take time off school because I wasn’t making enough,” said Nacelle Peña, a sales associate at Zara in New York City. “Right now I’m just trying to save money so I can take classes again. But unless I’m earning $15 an hour, I don’t see how that is going to happen.”
“Three million New Yorkers’ wages would be boosted by raising the minimum wage to $15 – from seniors trying to make due on a fixed income to working moms and dads struggling to make a good future for their kids,” said Jessica Wisneski, Citizen Action of New York’s legislative and campaigns director. “Raising wages is one key step the legislature can take to write a budget that works for all New Yorkers, not just the wealthy and well-connected.”
“If the Governor’s minimum wage proposal passes, it’ll help – but the truth is workers and their children will still struggle below the poverty line. We call on the governor to follow San Francisco and Seattle’s lead and pass a minimum wage people can live on: $15 an hour. If the Senate Republicans balk, Governor Cuomo can do it himself, taking executive action with a wage board,” said Bill Lipton, director of the NY Working Families Party.
“Nationwide leadership on the minimum wage means $15 per hour. Seattle and San Francisco are there, Chicago is close, and Oregon and Massachusetts are on their way. We urge Speaker Heastie and the Assembly Democratic Majority to join with the fast-food and low-wage workers who’ve shown the way and join the “Fight for $15” in their one-house budget,” said Mike Kink of the Strong Economy for All coalition.
“When Americans’ hard work is generating billions in profits in most food services and service jobs, and corporations are paying the bare minimum, this hurts working class families and the economy as a whole. It’s time that Albany legislators stand together with workers to fight for $15 an hour, which gives our friends, our neighbors, and our families a fair shot at a secure future,” said Gabriel Gallucci, political and legislative director of NY Communities for Change.
“Hard-working New Yorkers making minimum wage have been calling for an increase in the minimum wage to $15 so that they can support their families and make ends meet,” said 32BJ president Hector Figueroa. “Governor Cuomo’s proposal to raise the wage was a good start and we’re counting on the Legislature to build on it. This is a matter of justice and a matter of respect for hard work and human dignity. We can’t stand by while people in our state are paid poverty wages.”
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