Raise the Wage in Tompkins County

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Raise the Wage in Tompkins County

THE CRISIS

No matter how hard we work, it is becoming more and more difficult to make ends meet in Tompkins County. Roughly 19,000 workers, or 40% of the County’s workforce, earn under the “living wage”, wages needed to pay basic living expenses. Marginalized communities experience the worst of the affordability crisis — 2 of 5 women and 3 of 5 Black workers in the county do not earn a living wage. 

In 2023, NY State raised the minimum wage to reach $16 upstate by 2026, a dollar less than downstate. However, this is far below the $25 MIT calculates as the county’s current living wage to cover basic needs. 

We have the power to demand what we need to survive. We’re fighting to raise the wage in Tompkins County so all workers win a dignified wage. 

THE MOVEMENT

The effort to raise the minimum wage in Tompkins County is led by local organizations such as the Tompkins County Workers Center and supported by the statewide coalition Raise Up NY, a broad coalition of labor unions, community organizations, and businesses fighting for fair wages. Recently, Cornell University workers with UAW 2300 won a tentative agreement with wage increases of 25%. This shows that workers are ready to fight for a living wage. Union or not, workers in Tompkins County can’t afford to wait for Albany to take action. 

WHAT WE ARE FIGHTING FOR

We are introducing legislation in the County Legislature to gradually raise our minimum wage so working people get the fair wage they deserve. 

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. Lift 40% of Tompkins County workers (19,000 workers) out of poverty and ensure they can afford rent, food, and other necessities amid rampant inflation; guarantee stable wages for seasonal workers. 

For business. Higher wages reduce employee turnover, cutting significant employer recruitment and retention costs; and higher wages put more money into workers’ pockets, stimulating consumer demand and job creation.

For government. Reduce reliance on government assistance, increase tax revenue, taxpayer dollars would shift away from supporting poor workers and back to business.

For public health. A $1 increase in the minimum wage is linked to an increase in the probability of children being in excellent 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.

FREQUENTLY 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 Pete Meyers of Tompkins County Workers Center at pete@tcworkerscenter.org