Raise Up NY Calls for a $21.25 Minimum Wage to Uplift Black Futures

Related Media

IMG_4640.jpg

• IMG_4683.jpg
• IMG_4660.jpg

NEW YORK, NY (02/24/2023) (readMedia)-- On Friday, workers and members of SEIU 32BJ, Raise Up NY, advocates, and lawmakers held a press conference to mark Black History Month and center the voices of Black workers in support of a higher minimum wage in New York. Members of the Raise Up NY coalition are urging state lawmakers to first raise New York's minimum wage to at least $21.25 by 2027 and thereafter adjust it automatically each year to keep pace with rising cost of living and gains in worker productivity. The coalition supports the Raise the Wage Act which would benefit 41.8% of Black workers across New York State, and put an average annual raise of $3,300 in their pockets, or an additional $63/week. In comparison, Governor Hochul's proposal would only index New York's minimum wage going forward, increasing worker pay by only $13/week.

The press conference took place in front of the Charging Bull statue on Wall Street, the seat of the financial district. Corporations are making record profits, and CEOs and executives now make nearly 400 times more than workers-yet these profits are not reaching workers earning the minimum wage who haven't had a raise in four years.

Watch video of the press conference here and photos are attached.

"As a veteran of the fight for $15 and someone who had to provide for four kids on a minimum wage salary, this is a battle that is deeply personal to me. I can't express how proud I am to stand here today with you all as we rally to demand a $21.25 minimum wage in New York!" said Vladimir Clairjeune, airport worker and 32BJ SEIU member.

"When I was 18 and a brand new father and husband, I made about $7/hr, the minimum wage at the time. It is not an exaggeration to say that there were so many times that I had to choose between eating or paying my rent or buying basic necessities for my boy, Elijah Jr and supporting my wife. Those choices are ones that no working New Yorkers should face. The Raise the Wage Act goes a long way to ensure that future families won't have to make those same heart wrenching decisions. That's why I came out today and it's why I am so proud to be a part of this fight!" said Elijah Mackay Sr., security officer and 32BJ SEIU member.

"Today, we took our demand to raise the minimum wage to Wall Street, the very heart of American finance because we needed to remind folks that it is the working people of this state that drive our economy. When they can't make a living wage, it is not only an injustice, it is a direct threat to New York's economic livelihood. And we know this impacts Black New Yorkers the hardest. Under the Raise the Wage Act, 41.8% of Black workers across the state would get raises. 32BJ SEIU thanks Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Latoya Joyner for this bill, which will help families grapple with rising costs, afford basic necessities, and support their local businesses," said Manny Pastreich, President of 32BJ SEIU.

New Yorkers are living through the worst cost-of-living-crisis in 40 years - and underpaid workers are bearing the brunt of the crisis. With the minimum wage frozen at $15 an hour, salaries are now worth 15% less than they were in 2019. This hits Black women and women of color the hardest- 41% of whom make less than $15 an hour. Wages must catch up to where they would be if New York's $15 minimum wage had increased annually since 2019 to keep up with rising prices and increased worker productivity-which translates to at least $21.25 by 2027 as proposed in the Raise the Wage Act. Enacting the Raise the Wage Act will impact 2.9 million workers, including 41.8% of Black workers.

Governor Hochul's minimum wage proposal to merely increase the minimum wage to keep up with future inflation is projected to deliver raises of only about 45 cents an hour in 2024, and 35 or 40 cents in 2025 and 2026. That translates to an average raise of only $670, or just $13 a week-much too small to be meaningful. Moreover, only about 900,000 workers state-wide would receive raises under the Governor's plan as compared to 2.9 million New York workers under the Raise the Wage Act.

Ten years ago, New York became the first state in the nation to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour, in response to the worker-of-color-led Fight for 15 campaign. This victory led to historic reductions in poverty and earnings inequality in New York, as well as job growth, not job loss. From 2013 to 2019, employment in New York City grew by over 18%, compared to 14% in cities that did not increase the minimum wage. Raising the minimum wage to $15 also helped businesses across New York keep their employees, saving them recruitment and retention costs, and boosted sales at local businesses.

Recent independent academic studies show that New York's $15 minimum wage raised pay significantly without hurting job growth. The Institute of Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California, Berkeley released a report (attached) analyzing the effects of New York's $15 fast food minimum wage. Unlike the general minimum wage, which has been inching up to $15 upstate, the upstate fast food industry has been covered by a $15 minimum wage since 2021. Since fast food is one of the most underpaid and most labor-intensive occupations, any job losses associated with a higher minimum wage would be evident in that industry. However, the new UC Berkeley study finds that in both upstate and down New York the fast food industry grew at least as fast or faster than in other states that didn't raise the minimum wage. The fact that the state-wide $15 fast food minimum wage did not hurt job growth indicates that at least a $21.25 state-wide wage by 2027 is unlikely to do so. Moreover, the Berkely study finds that if the $15 fast food minimum wage had been updated for inflation since it hit $15, it would be over $20 by 2026.

Columbia University's Poverty Tracker also analyzed the effects of the $15 minimum wage increase in New York City, and found similarly positive results for workers. The wage increase led to higher annual earnings and declining poverty rates for workers making the minimum wage, and did not result in any job loss.

"We are in the midst of a cost-of-living-crisis, and Black workers are bearing the brunt of it. While corporations are bringing in record profits, Black workers making near the minimum wage need and deserve a raise too. The minimum wage is a racial justice issue, and the Raise the Wage Act - which would impact 41.8% of Black New Yorkers - will uplift working families so they can live a dignified life," said Senator Jessica Ramos, Chair of the Senate Labor Committee and sponsor of the Raise the Wage Act.

"Raising wages for 2.9 million working New Yorkers, the Raise the Wage Act provides higher pay for families who are being squeezed to an unprecedented degree by rising prices. Far too many New Yorkers are struggling to make ends meet and the 'catch-up' provisions included in the Raise the Wage Act will enable working families to regain lost purchasing power while strengthening the local economy in the Bronx and communities throughout New York," said Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner (D-Bronx, 77th AD), chair of the Assembly Labor Committee.

"It's only right to raise the wage to help New Yorkers catch up with the rising costs of living, but we must go further so our working class are not simply catching up, but keeping up. The Raise the Wage Act will directly benefit minimum wage workers who have withstood the worst of the financial crisis and haven't had a raise in years. Many thanks to SEIU 32BJ, Raise Up NY and all the advocates pushing to end systemic wage disparities for working New Yorkers," said Senator John Liu.

"New Yorkers are struggling with a cost-of-living crisis of unprecedented magnitude, and underpaid workers are on the frontlines of this crisis. The current minimum wage is insufficient to keep up with rising prices and increased worker productivity. We must pass the Raise the Wage Act to ensure workers, particularly women of color who make less than $15 an hour, can make ends meet. I am proud to join advocates and legislators working to Raise the Wage, which would benefit millions of workers in our state," said Senator Robert Jackson.

"On Black History Month and every month, we need to do everything we can to lift up black and brown New Yorkers from the economic conditions that years of oppression has placed them in. That means increasing the minimum wage in New York to $21.25 and indexing it to inflation. This will benefit over 40% of Black workers in our state, and will be a significant step forward in achieving economic justice for our most historically disenfranchised communities. We look forward to working with 32BJ, the Raise Up NY coalition, and our allies in government on getting this done, and continuing to push the envelope forward for all New Yorkers," said Assemblymember Juan Ardila.

###

Raise Up NY is a coalition of workers, labor, community, and businesses-including ALIGN-NY, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, Caring Majority, Churches United for Fair Housing, Citizen Action of New York, Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, Community Voices Heard, Construction and General Building Laborers' Local 79, CWA D1, For the Many, Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood, Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network, Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, Human Services Council, Indivisible Nation Brooklyn, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, Legal Aid New York, Legal Momentum, The Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund, Long Island Jobs with Justice, Make the Road NY, National Employment Law Project, New York Communities for Change, Northeast NY Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, Partnership for the Public Good, Retail Action Project, RWDSU, SEIU 32BJ, SEIU Local 200United, 1199SEIU, Strong Economy for All Coalition, Sunnyside Community Services, Teamsters Joint Council 16, Teamsters Local 804, Tompkins County Worker Center, UAW Region 9, UAW Region 9A, Western New York Council on Occupational Safety and Health (WNYCOSH), Alianza Agrícola

Labor-Religion Coalition of NYS, ROC United, Family Values @ Work, New York State Public Affairs Committee of the Junior Leagues, League of Women Voters of St. Lawrence County, NY, National Institute for Reproductive Health, Oxfam America, Equal Rights Advocates, Mekong NYC, National Women's Law Center, Girls for Gender Equity, NYSPAC, National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs-NYC, Citizens' Committee for Children, A Better Balance, Gender Equality Law Center, Her Justice, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Workers Center of Central New York, Worker Justice Center of New York, and Workers United - that backs legislation, which would raise New York State's minimum wage and ensure there are annual minimum wage increases so that it won't fall behind ever again.