HUDSON VALLEY- A delegation of eight Democratic legislators from the Orange, Dutchess, and Putnam County Legislatures, as well as one member of the Newburgh City Council, have filed memos of support for the inclusion of the provisions of the Raise the Wage Act in the upcoming state budget.
Following the passage of language in the Senate and Assembly one-house budget resolutions last week that throws support behind a wage increase before implementing wage indexing, local elected officials are voicing their support for increasing the minimum wage. The local officials are backing a bill sponsored by the Senate and Assembly Labor Chairs Jessica Ramos and Latoya Joyner, which proposes raising the wage to $21.25 by 2026, at which point the minimum wage will be indexed to keep pace with indexing and productivity.
“The Raise the Wage Act is urgently needed to restore the state’s minimum wage by raising it to the level where it would have been if it had been consistently updated each year since 2019 to keep up with both rising prices and worker productivity increases,” the support memo states.
From Orange County, Giselle Martinez, member of the Newburgh City Council, as well as County Legislators Kevindaryán Luján and Genesis Ramos signed on in support. They were joined by Dutchess County Legislators Yvette Valdés Smith, Giancarlo Llaverias, Brennan Kearney, Nick Page, and Kristofer Munn. Putnam County Legislator Nancy Montgomery also issued a memo in support of the act.
“I’m so grateful that my colleagues in Orange, Dutchess, and Putnam County are joining the statewide Raise Up New York Coalition with their emphatic support for a $21.25 minimum wage with indexing,” said State Senator Jessica Ramos, (D- Queens). “The cost of living crisis is a statewide issue – it’s not isolated to my district. New Yorkers from Buffalo to Brooklyn are feeling the strain brought on by rising costs of food, utilities, and rent. This is about making sure that New Yorkers can live a dignified life that allow them to work, save, and spend time with their family without having to work multiple jobs. Passing the Raise the Wage Act in the final budget is an all-hands-on-deck effort that is going to lift the standard of living for the entire state.”
Negotiations between the legislature and the Governor are underway, with a final deadline of April 1st.
