Democrats Push Minimum Wage Measure in State Senate

After years of trying and several failed attempts, labor advocates are once again pushing for legislation that would raise New York state's minimum wage. The bill would, if passed, raise the state's minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.10 within two years.

Bills intended to raise the state's minimum wage to $6.75 have been introduced and passed in the State Assembly in the last two years, but have failed to pass the State Senate. The proposed increase in New York's minimum wage would directly affect the pay of approximately 750,000 workers statewide.

Although the bill has 40 sponsors--14 Republicans and 26 Democrats--it has not yet been brought up for discussion in this legislative session. Yesterday, Democratic leaders in the Senate introduced a motion to petition to put the bill on the agenda, an action that may be used only six times in a legislative session.

Supporters of a higher minimum wage see it as a necessity for the state's working poor. One of the initiative's most active proponents has been State Senator Eric Schneiderman. According to Clifton Poole, communications director for Schneiderman, the current minimum wage leaves many workers unable to meet the basic cost of living. In support of this, Poole pointed out that a full-time worker making minimum wage earns about $10,700 annually, well below the poverty line.

Poole sees an increase in the minimum wage as a natural step. "There are other states that have already raised the minimum wage," he said.

The push for a higher minimum wage is not new. Although the present campaign began last fall, advocates of a higher minimum wage have been lobbying for it for years. "This is an initiative that's been going on for a while," Poole said.

Another supporter of the bill is New York City Councilman Bill Perkins, who represents Columbia University's council district. Because minimum wage laws are made at the state level, however, his role has been limited.

"The city plays very little role in this other than to advocate," Perkins said. "What we have done is sent a message of support to the state legislature."

Still, Perkins sees the issue as particularly important for the city, due to the relatively higher cost of living and the necessity of paying high rent. To that end, he previously sponsored a living wage bill for city contract employees, setting a minimum pay of $12 an hour.

"The reality is that the present minimum wage is an unrealistic wage at which to expect people to have a decent living," said Perkins.

One of the initiative's major supporters outside of government has been the Working Families Party, a New York coalition of worker advocacy groups. Josh Mason, policy director for the group, explained the push for a higher minimum wage as a response to a changing economic climate.

"When you look at the New York economy, what you see is the number of low wage workers increasing," he said. He cited a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute, a non-partisan research organization, which found a sharp increase in the percentage of workers making less than $7 an hour since 1979.

The effort to raise the minimum wage is not without its opponents, which range from the restaurant industry to the Republican leadership in the state legislature. The New York State branch of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, in particular, has fought the move.

"It's not good for the working poor, it's not good for the economy, and it's unnecessary," said Mark Alesse, the New York state director of the federation. Alesse said that raising the minimum wage would only hurt small businesses by raising costs, and ultimately lead to job loss.

"You have to make up the difference somewhere," Alesse said. "It doesn't grow on trees. It has to come from the bottom line, and for independent businesses that's often very small."

Among the workers particularly at risk, according to Alesse, would be those in the most vulnerable positions--the mentally handicapped, immigrants, and newcomers to the workforce.

Also, according to Alesse, New York State already provides sufficient care for the working poor via social welfare programs.

The federation has attempted to spread its message primarily through public advocacy. "We've been trying to explain the basics of economics to people," Alesse said.

Alesse also expressed concern that the desire for a higher minimum wage was driven primarily by unions eager to promote across-the-board wage inflation.

But an across-the-board increase in wages does not alarm the bill's proponents, who do not so readily accept such an economic view. In fact, it is part of their plan. Mason cites the Fiscal Policy Institute study, which finds no evidence of significant job loss as a result of moderate minimum wage increase.

Nor does Mason share the view that the market ought not to be tampered with. "You can't rely on the free market to distribute gains," he said. "The rising tide is clearly not raising all boats."

Despite recent moves forward, the timetable for the bill remains uncertain. "We very much want and hope to have a bill passed in this legislative season," said Mason. But, he added, "there's always a chance we won't get anything passed, in which case we won't go away."

Poole also expressed caution in his expectations. "We're not optimistic about it passing, and it's kind of indicative of how dysfunctional Albany is," he said. He pointed in particular to a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the bill's Republican sponsors, who he suspects may be attaching their names to the bill purely for political reasons.

"If they really wanted to bring it to the floor, they would be putting more pressure on their leaders, and they're not doing that," he said.

However, all of the bill's advocates maintain that they are backed by a groundswell of popular support, pointing to polls showing nearly 80 percent of the New York public in favor of a higher minimum wage.

"An important point to stress is that this is a very popular issue," said Mason.