More than 200 workers, business leaders and other advocates rally to call for $15 statewide minimum wage
Albany, NY – The best way to “develop” the workforce and boost New York’s economy is to enact a minimum wage that meets families’ basic needs. That was the message more than 200 people, including low wage workers and New York business leaders delivered at a state Senate hearing on the Workforce Development budget Wednesday.
Workers brought paychecks that show their minimum wage realities: how much they take home working on $9 an hour – New York’s current minimum wage.
“It’s simple math: my weekly take home pay is $290.00. My rent is $750, my gas is $100 on budget plan, my electric is $86.00 monthly. I have to have my own transportation because I live 30 miles from work, so I pay car insurance, gas, and repairs. This leaves very little to provide for my children and myself,” said Brittani Sadler, who is 27 years old and supporting two young children as a dietary aid in a large senior facility in Buffalo. “Even working full time, I qualify and definitely need public assistance for housing, heat and health care. I want to get up out of the need for public assistance. Raising the minimum wage would help me do that and help so many other families like mine.”
Business owners submitted testimony to the state Senate, sharing their first-hand experience with the business and economic benefits that come from paying fair wages.
“Raising the minimum wage boosts the wages of affected workers and the economy benefits from the increased spending,” said Cynthia D. DiBartolo, Chairperson of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce. “This is exactly the catalyst that will keep businesses in this great State growing, reduce inequity, and empower consumers with a larger wallet to spend more money in their community. An increased minimum wage is the right move for businesses and workers alike.”
With one of the highest costs of living in the country, New York’s $9 minimum wage isn’t enough to cover basic costs like housing, food and transportation. Data shows that 75 percent of workers earning less than $15 now are over 25, and many are helping to support families.
A $15 minimum wage would mean more than 3 million workers – 37 percent of the state’s workforce – would see an increase in their wages. Once the $15 wage is fully phased in, that means more than $5,000 annually in additional income for workers, the majority of whom are women and people of color.
“My family and I are going through a really hard time, since before the holidays we’ve had to work miracles to pay bills and have enough for food. Both of my children and I lost our jobs, and we depend on just my husband’s salary, from working in a bodega. He works 6 days a week, 10 hours a day and earns just $600 a week. He doesn’t get paid overtime, or have any type of benefits. We have to cover rent at $1,300 a month, cover all our bills and maintain a family of 4,” said Narda Rodriguez of Brooklyn, a member of New York Communities for Change. “We cannot afford to make any mistakes on our budget. We are constantly worried about my husband’s health, I don’t know what would happen if he ever gets sick and has to take a day or two off work. If he had a wage of $15 an hour our lives would be so different.”
Two-thirds of New Yorkers support raising the wage to $15, according to a Siena College poll released this week. Business owners who see a $15 wage as a way to boost the state’s economy are among those supporters.
“Fair pay is a crucial part of the recipe for success at Ben & Jerry’s. We’ve paid a living wage for more than 20 years, sparing our employees the struggle of trying to make it on wages that don’t even cover basic expenses,” said Jeff Furman, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and resident of Ithaca. “In return, our company is spared the cost of high employee turnover. Instead, our bottom line is boosted by good company morale, greater worker retention and commitment, and more satisfied customers.”
The latest economic research shows that minimum wage increases have little impact on employment levels and instead provide an economic boost, as workers spend their raises in their communities, according to the National Employment Law Project and Fiscal Policy Institute.
“I fight for $15 because I have lived in this state for many years and the minimum wage I’m earning is not enough to pay for rent, food, transportation, and all the other expenses we have to cover,” said Christina Molina, 48, a domestic worker in Woodside, Queens. “I, like many families am suffering under a minimum wage of $9/hour under which I cannot support my family. We need $15/ hour in order to live with dignity.”
“Amalgamated Bank is proud to be the first financial institution offering a $15/hour minimum wage to all our employees Given the deep need, the strain on public funds caused by low wages, the success of these efforts elsewhere and the benefits to our local economy, we believe this is a step all businesses should take,” said Keith Mestrich, president and CEO of Amalgamated Bank. “Raising the minimum wage makes good business sense, and will give workers $20 billion in new earnings to spend at local businesses. We hope all New York State workers will soon receive a fair wage and the dignity they deserve.”
“Raising the minimum wage encourages better business practices. An inadequate minimum wage fits the old adage, ‘Penny wise and pound foolish,'” said Jon Cooper, President and Co-Owner, Spectronics Corporation in Westbury. “Employers who invest in their workforce have employees who are more invested in the company and in satisfying its customers. A higher minimum wage will result in increased employee retention, lower hiring and training costs, fewer mistakes that cost time and money, and increased productivity.”
“Making $15 is a matter of dignity and a matter of survival. I’m 67 years old and have been dedicated to the same job and community for the last 18 years,” said Ethel Roeller, a hardware store worker in Ronkonkoma, New York. “$15 is not too much to ask for. It is just enough to get by. You have the power to raise the wage and change the lives of millions of workers.”
“From retail to manufacturing, from the food industry to e-commerce, we’ve spent decades helping businesses improve and grow. We think it vital that everyone who works is compensated fairly,” said Ajax Greene, CEO and Founder, On Belay Business Advisors Inc. in Gardiner. “Raising the New York State minimum wage to $15 is a win-win-win for employees, business and our economy.”
“My husband Marty and I are both CNAs and we support a family of 7. In order to pay the bills, my husband and I each work about 60 hours a week,” said Daisy Gascon, a certified nursing assistant at a skilled nursing facility in Houghton, New York. “Our children live with us. We’re working these hours at the expense of our family time. Things are difficult to work out when our children have school functions, sports, and all the other things young people would like to do. Something needs to change. People who are working as hard as we are should be able to pay the bills and have time with our families. This should not be an either or situation.”
“Many of the big chains count on responsible employers and taxpayers to subsidize them by providing food stamps and other public assistance to their workers who can’t make ends meet on poverty wages,” said Jan Rhodes Norman, Owner of Silk Oak and Ithacamade in Ithaca. “Raising the minimum wage to a more realistic level helps level the playing field for Main Street businesses like mine who believe in treating our employees fairly and investing in the communities in which we live, work, and do business.”
“I have raised three boys and have six grandchildren. My concerns for the future are great. We have struggled and our children are having even a harder time of it. My boys have held paying jobs since they were 12 years old, and used their income to supplement what we could not afford to provide,” said Tracy Hatch, a licensed practical nurse in Houghton, New York. “As a parent that makes you feel like a failure. Now, I still work two jobs, and while they no longer live with me, I help them pay their car insurance and student loans. I am blessed with my grandchildren, but worry that their futures will be even more difficult to navigate. Raising the minimum wage could at least give them a head start that we didn’t have.”
“Raising the minimum wage will make our economy better. Workers making low wages are the people most likely to spend their additional income. That’s an increase in consumer spending at businesses throughout New York,” said Dal LaMagna, CEO of IceStone USA in Brooklyn. “Increasing New York’s minimum wage to $15 will be a needed boost to businesses and our state.”
“I know that $15 is right around the corner for me, and for the first time in a long time, I’m excited for the future,” said Rebecca Cornick, 51, of Brooklyn, who earns $10.50 at Wendy’s and is an active member of the Fight for $15. “But my daughter and granddaughter who also work in low-wage jobs deserve to live without fear just like I do. They deserve to live confident that they won’t be evicted, that they can keep the fridge full. It’s not too much to ask. Our fight is not done until every New Yorker earns enough to live.”
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