Raising the Wage in Rochester 

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Raising the Wage in Rochester 

It’s time to make more than change…YOU DESERVE ROC SOLID WAGES.

THE CRISIS

Rochester and Monroe County families are facing an affordability crisis. Despite juggling multiple jobs and working hard, residents of Rochester and Monroe County continue to struggle to meet their basic needs. The city has the third highest poverty rate in New York State. Half of Rochester’s children are in poverty. In 2022, Rochester experienced the largest rent increase in the entire Northeast, surpassing even New York City and Boston. This stark reality highlights the prevalence of poverty wages in our community—wages that fail to keep up with the rising cost of living. It is clear that Rochester must urgently increase wages to ensure that working people in our community can live with dignity and security.

THE MOVEMENT

Workers and communities are coming together to fight for a living wage in Rochester. The effort is led by local organizations such as the Worker’s Justice Project and the statewide coalition Raise Up NY, a group of labor unions, community organizations, and businesses fighting for fair wages. In 2023, the Raise Up NY coalition successfully passed a higher minimum wage across the state. But the work is not done—we know that the current minimum wage is not enough to survive. We’re building a movement across the state to ensure that Rochester is more affordable for everyone. 

WHAT WE ARE FIGHTING FOR

We are actively pursuing legislation that would incrementally raise wages for workers in the City of Rochester to $23/hour. We are fighting for a living wage that gives families the financial security they need to invest in our communities so we can thrive, not merely survive below the poverty line. 

At the state level, we are also fighting for the Upstate Parity and Minimum Wage Protection Act. This bill will ensure that there is one statewide minimum wage and end a dangerous loophole that prevents guaranteed annual raises.

BENEFITS OF A HIGHER MINIMUM WAGE.

For workers. Raising wages is one of the most effective ways to lift families out of hardship. A 10% increase in the minimum wage in Rochester will reduce poverty by 2-5%. When New York City raised the minimum wage from $9 to $15, the city saw the greatest reduction in child poverty in 50 years.

For the economy.  A Cornell ILR study showed that raising New York’s minimum wage to $21.25 would create 75,539 jobs statewide with 5,000 in Rochester alone. Without action, Rochester will continue to lag behind in job creation and economic security.

For the government.  A higher minimum wage will reduce reliance on government assistance, increase tax revenue, and shift taxpayer dollars back to business

For public health. A $1 increase in the minimum wage has a direct link to improved child health.

  • 10-11% increase in the probability of children being in excellent health.
  • 29-57% decrease in the probability of poor health.
  • 26-42% decrease in school absences due to illness.
  • 2% decrease in violent behavior in children whose caregivers lack a high school diploma.

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FREQUENTY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is this legal? Doesn’t NY State law preempt a local wage increase? There isn’t a law in NY that says counties cannot raise the wage on their own. In 1962, the Court of Appeals used the minimum wage law at the time to rule that NYC could not raise its minimum wage. But in the intervening years, the landscape has been shifting, the case has been criticized, and there has been a huge wave of local wage activity across the country recognizing the need for localities to adopt wage floors that reflect higher costs of living in their states. We hope that this is the time for New York to catch up with the shifting tide. 

Will raising the minimum wage mean challenges for small businesses? We have strong business support in our coalition, and it’s actually a common misconception that raising wages is bad for business. Quite the opposite — raising wages means less turnover and fewer hiring and retention costs, because people are more likely to stay in their jobs when they feel they are paid fairly. Five different studies of New York’s $15 minimum wage showed that raising the minimum wage did not hurt hiring or employment levels, including during economic down-turns. Raising the minimum wage is actually an excellent way to boost the economy because it increases consumer spending — minimum wage raises go into the pockets of people who are most likely to need to spend it. 

For more information about this campaign, contact Roxanna Siaca of Worker Justice Center of New York at RSiaca@wjcny.org