For Immediate Release: August 5, 2024
Local Elected Officials Endorse a Higher Minimum Wage in Tompkins County, NY Ahead of Vote
Electeds join Raise Up NY coalition, Tompkins County Workers Center in Backing Local Resolution Calling for Higher County Minimum Wage as Cost of Living Soars
ITHACA, NY – In a letter released today, 15 elected officials — including the Mayor of Ithaca and representatives from rural towns such as Caroline and Dryden — 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. Legislators introduced the resolution on July 8, and it is now up for a vote at the full Tompkins County Legislature meeting tomorrow, August 6 at 5:30pm. If passed, the County Legislature will move forward with drafting and introducing legislation for a higher County minimum wage.
The living wage in Tompkins County has soared 11% since last year, the highest spike since the Great Recession. The MIT Living Wage calculator currently estimates the County’s living wage — the minimum income level needed for residents to adequately afford shelter, food and other necessities — at more than $24/hr, significantly higher than upstate New York’s current $15 minimum wage. And according to a recent study by Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations School’s (ILR) Co-Lab, roughly 19,000 or 40% of Tompkins County workers earn wages below the living wage, including 2 in 5 women and 3 in 5 Black workers in the County.
Supported by Raise Up NY, Tompkins County Worker Center, UAW Local 2300, and others, the resolution follows the passage of last year’s state minimum wage increase, which is poised to raise the minimum wage to $17/hr downstate and $16/hr upstate by 2026.
In New York, where the cost of living crisis is so extreme that full-time workers are being pushed to take on second jobs, the new resolution highlights the importance of empowering localities to determine what is best for their workers. By ensuring their residents are earning a living wage, localities can both aid working families and the local economy.
About Raise Up NY
Raise Up NY is a coalition of labor unions, community groups, workers’ rights organizations, and businesses that support underpaid workers in their fight for fair wages and an economy that works for everyone. In 2023, the coalition fought to pass the Raise the Wage Act to adopt a higher minimum wage with annual cost-of-living increases, winning a partial victory when Governor Hochul adopted a minimum wage that will reach $17 downstate and $16 upstate by 2026. But these raises are far from enough, and the fight for a living wage continues. Raise Up NY is fighting for raises for millions of workers statewide, justice for upstate workers, and guaranteed annual increases to keep up with cost of living. Coordinated by ALIGN, Raise Up NY includes steering committee members National Employment Law Project, Strong Economy for All, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, For the Many, Make the Road NY, New York Communities for Change, Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, Churches United for Fair Housing, Worker Justice Center of New York, Tompkins County Workers Center, and the Teamsters Union, among others.
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