Subject:
Increase the State's Minimum Wage and Index it to Inflation
Message:
Dear Legislator,
As a constituent and a union member, I urge you to include provisions to increase the state's minimum wage to $21.25 by 2027 and index the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation as part of the 2023-24 enacted state budget.
Inflation has been stubbornly high, which has eroded purchasing power for consumers, raised interest rates and has forced many to deplete their savings — or worse, make difficult financial decisions regarding rent, medical care, food or heat — to purchase everyday items such as groceries and gasoline. For these reasons, high inflation impacts those with lower income disproportionately.
The state's minimum wage has not kept up with inflation. The current minimum wage of $15.00 per hour in New York city, the metro area and Long Island, and $14.20 per hour elsewhere in the state, does not provide workers with a living wage that allows them to provide for their families, cover the rising costs of housing and put food on their tables. To address these steadily rising costs and spikes in inflation, New York must index the minimum wage to reflect increases in inflation.
The guarantee of a living wage not only benefits workers and their families, but also provides a direct benefit to the state's overall economy as, historically, consumer trends have illustrated that lower wage earners are more likely to reinvest disposable income into local businesses.
Increasing and indexing the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation will ensure that it can cover the actual cost of living and ensure that workers in entry-level positions will provide upward pressure on wages for longer-serving employees. This will give workers a reasonable and reliable increase to their wages rather than having to live with sporadic increases that do not keep pace with unpredictable spikes in inflation.
Accordingly, I urge you to include the language contained in S.1978-A (Ramos)/A.2204-A (Joyner) in your one house budget proposals. These provisions would index the state's minimum wage to keep pace with inflation and increase the wage over the next three years to $21.25 in New York city, the metro area and Long Island, and $20.00 in the remainder of the state.
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. I look forward to a reply to my email.
Sincerely,
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