Workers’ Matters

Minimum Wage continued from page 1

Local 804 are urging Albany lawmakers to raise the state's minimum wage to $21.25 by 2026 before indexing it to inflation. Over 30 labor unions across New York have joined the Raise Up NY coalition to fight for the Raise the Wage Act, which would benefit 2.9 million New Yorkers with an annual raise of $3,300. The legislation is extremely popular among New Yorkers, with recent polling showing that 80% of New Yorkers – including 65% of Republican voters –support raising the minimum wage to $20+ before indexing it. In addition to labor support, the Raise the Wage Act has support from 160 organizations, nearly 300 businesses, and over 80 Albany Democratic lawmakers, ranging from progressives to moderates.

With the minimum wage frozen at $15 downstate, and only $14.20 upstate, wages are now worth 15% less than they were in 2019. This means $15 has the purchasing power of just $12.75 today. Governor Kathy Hochul's budget pro- posal would only index New York's minimum wage starting at the current $15, increasing worker pay by only $13/week for only 900,000 workers – a far less effective proposal compared to the Raise the Wage Act.

New York State is not alone in grappling with a dire affordability crisis – many states and cities are working to raise their minimum wages by 2027. High cost regions of the country, including Washington, D.C., Denver, San Francisco, and Seattle already have minimum wages in the $17 to $18 range and are projected to reach $20 to $21 by 2027. And high cost states like Massachusetts are proposing to raise their wages to $20 by 2027 in response to the sky-rocketing cost of living.

"What labor has done for New York cannot be quantified by a dollar amount. We owe workers a debt of gratitude that can never truly be repaid," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. "Workers are the ones who show up in times of crisis and the ones who keep us moving forward. They are essential, and they should be paid enough to afford the es- sentials for their families. I am proud to stand with labor leaders and hardworking New Yorkers statewide to demand the raise workers deserve."

"It's past time for NY to break the cycle of infrequent wage increases that fail to keep up with the rising costs of living," said New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO President Vincent Alvarez. "While we're all feeling the pain of rising costs, lower wage workers are being hit the hardest. Most minimum wage workers struggling to make ends meet are adults, and more than a quarter are supporting families. We need to raise the wage to $21.25 and automatically adjust that wage annually-and with 81% of New Yorkers already in support, we can and must get it done this year. Three million working New Yorkers and their families can't afford to wait."

"New York must be proactive in fighting for working families and ensuring they aren't left behind. The value of the city's minimum wage has plummeted far below what workers need to make a living here. The Raise the Wage Act will restore the badly eroded minimum wage and increase it automatically each year to make sure it doesn't fall behind again," said Henry Garrido, DC 37 Executive Director.

The CEO of McDonalds makes $21.8 million dollars a year. That number translates over $10 thousand dollars an hour for a forty hour week. We need to balance the scales and raise the minimum wage," said James P. Mahoney, President, International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers. "The NYS District Council of Iron Workers and our 16 Locals and 10,000 members stand shoulder to shoulder with workers across the labor movement in the fight for dignified wages. Our commitment to solidarity compels us to fight for the Raise the Wage Act. We're proud to join our voice to the demand that the legislature raise the minimum wage to $21.25, then indexing so no worker falls behind again."

"Steamfitters Local 638 is proud to stand with our brothers and sisters in the NY labor movement to raise the wage, because morally it is the right thing to do and anything that raises the wage floor inevitably benefits all workers, including those in our industry we have yet to organize and represent," continued on page 5