![[US] Black workers at forefront of conversation to raise NY minimum wage](http://globalpayrollassociation.com/cdn/shop/articles/bigstock-New-York-Usa--June------313443448_1200x.jpg?v=1677866084)
A proposed $21.25 hourly minimum wage would benefit 41.8 per cent of New York’s Black workforce directly or indirectly, according to the nonprofit think tank Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Amsterdam News reports.
An estimated 508,600 Black New Yorkers will receive an earnings boost if the Raise the Wage Act is passed.
The bill - sponsored by State Senator Jessica Ramos - is reportedly one of a pair of duelling plans to index the minimum wage (raise the hourly pay annually to match inflation). Unlike the alternative proposal from Governor Kathy Hochul, however, the Raise the Wage Act increases the minimum wage by a fixed dollar amount before it is indexed.
Ultimately, New York City workers would be making at least $21.25 an hour by 2027 with the bill’s passage.
“Affordability is top of mind for both the legislature and New Yorkers, and we cannot afford to leave any measure on the table,” Senator Ramos told Amsterdam News in an email. “My Raise The Wage Act would raise the wages of 2.9 million New Yorkers and then ensure through indexing that the wages keep pace with rising prices. For all the fear-mongering about the ultra-wealthy leaving New York, the data shows the opposite is happening.
“Black working families are leaving because their wages are not setting them up to be able to become homeowners and build generational wealth. Raising the minimum wage, to ensure that it truly covers the cost of living, has to be a top priority if we want to build a just budget.”
It is reportedly estimated that minimum wage workers will earn an extra $3,300 a year if the bill passes. The Raise the Wage Act is sponsored in the State Assembly by Democrat Latoya Joyner.
Governor Hochul’s proposal also promises to specifically assist workers of colour as well as women, who the Office says both “comprise a disproportionate share of minimum wage workers.” The governor announced the plan as a part of her 2023 State of the State address last month.
New York City’s minimum wage rise for fast food establishments and large employers to $15 in 2019 was initially seen as a landmark victory for service industry workers. However, after three years and a pandemic, fast food and retail employees are in need of another pay hike.
According to City Comptroller Brad Lander, as a result of rising inflation, a $15 hourly minimum wage today offers only $13.38 in purchasing power back when the raise was enacted.
On February 24, SEIU 32BJ union members and other Raise the Wage Act proponents staged a rally in front of Wall Street’s Charging Bull statue in support of a $21.25 minimum wage to “uplift Black futures.”
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams spoke at the rally and commended Governor Hochul for her indexing proposal. However, he insisted she also raise the minimum wage by a fixed amount before. The governor’s proposal to index the $15 minimum wage is capped at 3 per cent therefore it is not enough to catch up to this year’s 6 per cent inflation rate.
“If you index it at the [lowest] amount, you’re hurting a lot of people and most of those people will be Black and brown,” Mr Williams said. “Most of them will be women working in lower-paying jobs. Those are the people who need the most help, not the least help. Companies are making record amounts of profit so they won’t close up shop.
“The only thing that will happen is that people will make more money and be able to pay for a place and be able to not have to make a decision between paying for prescription drugs and paying for food.”
Source: Amsterdam News
(Quotes via original reporting)
A proposed $21.25 hourly minimum wage would benefit 41.8 per cent of New York’s Black workforce directly or indirectly, according to the nonprofit think tank Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Amsterdam News reports.
An estimated 508,600 Black New Yorkers will receive an earnings boost if the Raise the Wage Act is passed.
The bill - sponsored by State Senator Jessica Ramos - is reportedly one of a pair of duelling plans to index the minimum wage (raise the hourly pay annually to match inflation). Unlike the alternative proposal from Governor Kathy Hochul, however, the Raise the Wage Act increases the minimum wage by a fixed dollar amount before it is indexed.
Ultimately, New York City workers would be making at least $21.25 an hour by 2027 with the bill’s passage.
“Affordability is top of mind for both the legislature and New Yorkers, and we cannot afford to leave any measure on the table,” Senator Ramos told Amsterdam News in an email. “My Raise The Wage Act would raise the wages of 2.9 million New Yorkers and then ensure through indexing that the wages keep pace with rising prices. For all the fear-mongering about the ultra-wealthy leaving New York, the data shows the opposite is happening.
“Black working families are leaving because their wages are not setting them up to be able to become homeowners and build generational wealth. Raising the minimum wage, to ensure that it truly covers the cost of living, has to be a top priority if we want to build a just budget.”
It is reportedly estimated that minimum wage workers will earn an extra $3,300 a year if the bill passes. The Raise the Wage Act is sponsored in the State Assembly by Democrat Latoya Joyner.
Governor Hochul’s proposal also promises to specifically assist workers of colour as well as women, who the Office says both “comprise a disproportionate share of minimum wage workers.” The governor announced the plan as a part of her 2023 State of the State address last month.
New York City’s minimum wage rise for fast food establishments and large employers to $15 in 2019 was initially seen as a landmark victory for service industry workers. However, after three years and a pandemic, fast food and retail employees are in need of another pay hike.
According to City Comptroller Brad Lander, as a result of rising inflation, a $15 hourly minimum wage today offers only $13.38 in purchasing power back when the raise was enacted.
On February 24, SEIU 32BJ union members and other Raise the Wage Act proponents staged a rally in front of Wall Street’s Charging Bull statue in support of a $21.25 minimum wage to “uplift Black futures.”
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams spoke at the rally and commended Governor Hochul for her indexing proposal. However, he insisted she also raise the minimum wage by a fixed amount before. The governor’s proposal to index the $15 minimum wage is capped at 3 per cent therefore it is not enough to catch up to this year’s 6 per cent inflation rate.
“If you index it at the [lowest] amount, you’re hurting a lot of people and most of those people will be Black and brown,” Mr Williams said. “Most of them will be women working in lower-paying jobs. Those are the people who need the most help, not the least help. Companies are making record amounts of profit so they won’t close up shop.
“The only thing that will happen is that people will make more money and be able to pay for a place and be able to not have to make a decision between paying for prescription drugs and paying for food.”
Source: Amsterdam News
(Quotes via original reporting)