For Immediate Release: August 7, 2024
Media Contact: Lisa Thomas, lisa@alignny.org
Tompkins County Minimum Wage Resolution Passes
Raise Up NY coalition celebrates local victory in the fight for fair wages
ITHACA, NY – 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:
“Tompkins County legislators voted for the workers struggling to survive, for the businesses fighting to keep their doors open, and for the future of a close-knit community. This is a huge victory for workers across the state, where the minimum wage still lags far behind a living wage. Tompkins County has sent a message loud and clear that we must invest in working families to end our cost-of-living crisis, and Raise Up NY applauds County legislators for bravely charting a path forward. We’ll keep fighting for fair, dignified wages for all New Yorkers.”
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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