03.22.2016

NEW YORK - With the state budget deadline days away and negotiations underway that will determine the fate of a minimum wage increase, 85 local elected officials from across upstate New York released a letter today strongly urging members of the State Senate and State Assembly to support Gov. Cuomo's proposal to raise the minimum wage to $15 statewide by 2021 at the latest.   "We cannot leave upstate behind as we raise wages in New York City," argue lawmakers in the letter. "Upstate residents know their families need $15 by 2021 – and local economies need the spending power of higher wages to drive economic development and job growth."  

Signers include mayors, town councilmembers, county legislators, and other local elected officials. The letter was coordinated by the New York State Progressive Elected Officials Network, a statewide network formed to support and unite progressive local elected officials that officially launched earlier this year. NYSPEN is a state affiliate of Local Progress, a network started in 2012 to connect progressive legislators nationwide. Local Progress is a project of the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and CPD Action.  

Local elected officials who signed the letter are available for comment. The text of the letter is below.

March 22, 2016

Dear Members of the State Senate and State Assembly:

We, the undersigned elected officials from across Upstate New York, write to communicate our strong support for Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 by 2021 statewide – three years behind the Governor’s proposed 2018 phase-in for New York City. Raising upstate New York’s minimum wage up to $15 by 2021 – a responsible five-year phase-in – will afford employers in our communities appropriate time to adjust and plan for higher wages. Any longer phase-in than 2021 will endanger the economic well-being of upstate communities and leave upstate workers and children in poverty. First, contrary to suggestions that $15 by 2021 is excessive for upstate communities, cost of living data show that, in fact, across upstate communities single adults without dependents will need $15 to $21 per hour by 2021 just to afford the basics:  

 • $15.72 by 2021 in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area    

• $16.26 by 2021 in Elmira    

• $17.19 by 2021 in Rural New York regions like the North Country    

• $17.24 by 2021 in Glens Falls  

 • $17.58 by 2021 in Kingston    

• $20.70 by 2021 in the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown area (Source: National Employment Law Project)

Second, child poverty has reached epidemic proportions across upstate New York. As reported by the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, “more than 50 percent of children currently live under the federal poverty line in cities from Buffalo to Newburgh. In some major upstate cities, child poverty rates were as high 74 percent among select groups.” A $15 upstate minimum wage is urgently needed to lift upstate children and their families out of poverty. A $15 upstate wage by 2021 would raise pay for 75 to 80% of all poor and near-poor families in upstate communities:  in the Capital Region (77%), Finger Lakes (80%), Hudson Valley (76%) and Western New York (77%) regions, according to the Fiscal Policy Institute.

Third, now that upstate will have a $15 minimum wage by 2021 for fast food workers, employers in other fields from agriculture to human services are concerned that if their industries don’t raise pay too, they’ll start to lose workers to fast food jobs. That’s why growing numbers of organizations representing New York’s main street employers like the New York Sustainable Business Council, the National Organic Farmers Association of New York (NOFA-NY) are supporting a $15 upstate minimum wage by 2021 to bring all upstate workers up to the fast food wage.

Fourth, while the benefits of a phased-in $15 wage for our communities will be significant, local governments will also need help transitioning to the higher wage. We urge you to provide supplemental funding to localities to help them transition to the new $15 wage, and to exempt from the state’s property tax cap local expenditures necessary to raise public employee wages. Similarly, locally-contracted non-profit human services programs will need supplemental state funding to help them pay the higher wage.

Finally, we cannot leave upstate behind as we raise wages in New York City. Upstate residents know their families need $15 by 2021 – and local economies need the spending power of higher wages to drive economic development and job growth.

Sincerely,

Darius Shahinfar, Albany City Treasurer Richard Conti, Albany Common Council, President Pro Tem Dorcey Applyrs, Albany Common Councilmember Leah Golby, Albany Common Councilmember Vivian Kornegay, Albany Common Councilmember Doug Bullock, Albany County Legislator Paul Miller, Albany County Legislator Joseph O'Brien, Albany County Legislator William Reinhardt, Albany County Legislator Peggy Ross, Beacon City Councilmember MaryAnn Carr, Bedford Town Board Member Elect Chris Burdick, Bedford Town Supervisor Dani Cronce, Binghamton City Councilmember William Moehle, Brighton Town Supervisor Sean O'Brien, Canton Village Trustee Vickie Dankowski, Cheektowaga Town Clerk Stephanie Hausner, Clarkstown Town Councilmember Elizabeth Hallmark, Commissioner of Rochester Board of Education Seth Freach, Cortlandt Town Board Member Brian Pugh, Croton Village Trustee Kerin Rigney , DeWitt Town Councilor Samuel Young, DeWitt Town Councilor Hannah Black, Dutchess County Legislator Barbara Jeter-Jackson, Dutchess County Legislator Kari Rieser, Dutchess County Legislator Joel Tyner, Dutchess County Legislator Carmen Julia Pineyro, Freeport Village Trustee Gregory Young, Fulton County Supervisor Paul Feiner, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Mike Quinn, Hamburg Town Councilmember Alexis Keith, Hudson Alderperson Svante Myrick, Ithaca Mayor Brad Will, Kingston Alderperson Christina Dawson, Kingston Alderperson Johanna Coleman , Lancaster Town Supervisor Dan Welsh, Lewisboro Town Board Bill Hermann, Mamakating Town Supervisor Jodie Gilheany, Mechanicville Commissioner of Finance Cynthia Kaleh, Monroe County Legislator John Lightfoot, Monroe County Legislator Mark Muoio, Monroe County Legislator James Sheppard , Monroe County Legislator Gerard McQuade, Monroe Town Councilmember Harley Doles, Monroe Town Supervisor Chad Volpe , Mount Hope Town Supervisor Daniel Torres, New Paltz Deputy Supervisor Eugenie Abrams, Newburgh City Councilmember Karen Mejia, Newburgh City Councilmember John Della Ratta, Niskayuna Town Board Alan Cohen, Oneida City Councilor Michael Paduch, Orange County Legislator Matthew Turnbull, Orange County Legislator Curlie Dillard, Orange County Legislator Christopher Eachus, Orange County Legislator Victoria Gearity , Ossining Village Mayor John Codman III, Ossining Village Trustee John Gosek, Oswego City Alderperson Sara Niccoli, Palatine Town Supervisor Michael Kelly, Plattsburgh City Councilor Tom Wood, Plattsburgh Town Councilor Ann Perry, Poughkeepsie Common Council Sarah Imboden, Red Hook Councilperson Mark Fleming, Rensselaer County Legislator Gary Pavlic, Rensselaer County Legislator Elizabeth Spinzia, Rhinebeck Town Supervisor Molly Clifford, Rochester City Councilmember Matt Haag, Rochester City Councilmember Elaine Spaull, Rochester City Councilmember John Hughes, Rosendale Town Councilmember Stacy Lipari, Rosendale Town Councilmember Chris Pryslopski, Rosendale Town Councilmember John Mootooveren, Schenectady City Councilmember Vilair Fonvil, Spring Valley Board Trustee Susan Boyle, Syracuse Common Councilmember Helen Hudson, Syracuse Common Councilmember Sean Rautenstrauch , Tonawanda City Councilmember Elliott Auerbach, Ulster County Comptroller Christopher Allen, Ulster County Legislator Tracey Bartels, Ulster County Legislator Manna Jo Greene, Ulster County Legislator Leonard Distel, Wawarsing Town Supervisor Sheila Meegan, West Seneca Town Supervisor Ken Jenkins, Westchester County Legislator Corazon Pineda, Yonkers City Councilmember Christopher Johnson, Yonkers City Councilmember

The New York State Progressive Elected Officials Network (NYSPEN) is a group of over 100 progressive elected officials in New York State united by a commitment to shared prosperity, equal justice under law, sustainable and livable cities, and good government that serves the public interest effectively. NYSPEN is affiliated with Local Progress, the national policy support network for progressive elected officials. The purpose of NYSPEN is to empower local elected officials through trainings on public policy and leadership skills, to provide policy support and coordinate efforts to pass progressive policies across regions and geographies, to unite elected officials to advocate on issues of shared interest at the state level, and to provide opportunities for networking and shared solidarity. The network will also provide training and support for elected officials to identify and develop leaders in their communities. NYSPEN is led by progressive elected officials and jointly staffed by New York Working Families, Local Progress, The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and CPD Action.

Contact: Asya Pikovsky, 207-522-2442