Last night, Tompkins County legislators voted 11-3 in favor of a resolution directing the County to consider legislation raising the local minimum wage. In reaction, Tal Frieden, ALIGN Campaign Manager for the Raise Up NY coalition, issued the following statement:
According to a 2023 Cornell living wage study, roughly 19,000, or about 40%, of Tompkins County workers earn less than the living wage, with two of five women and three of five black workers in the county not receiving enough funds to account for sky-high food, travel, childcare and rent prices.…
In a letter released today, 15 elected officials endorsed a Tompkins County Legislature resolution calling to gradually raise the County’s minimum wage to a living wage as residents continue to face a cost-of-living crisis.
On July 8, the Tompkins County Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to pass a resolution that could potentially increase the county’s minimum wage, inching it closer to the living wage, which is expected to spike again later this year. …