Dear Governor Cuomo, Acting Labor Commissioner Musolino and members of the Wage Board:

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Antony Maxwell
5 years ago
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1 Dear Governor Cuomo, Acting Labor Commissioner Musolino and members of the Wage Board: As local elected officials from across New York, we are united behind a simple yet fundamental principle: hard work should be rewarded by fair pay. Over the past three years, we have been inspired by the brave workers who have taken to the streets in towns and cities across America, calling for $15 and a union. They have awakened the conscience of our nation to the cruel reality that the richest country on earth is increasingly scarred by vast inequality and shocking poverty. As the New York State Department of Labor s Wage Board conducts its important work of recommending a new minimum wage for workers in the fast food industry, we remind the Board members and Governor Andrew Cuomo of three well- documented facts: Rapidly raising the minimum wage to $15 will have tremendous positive consequences for the health, wellbeing, and dignity of tens of thousands of fast food workers and their families. The fast food industry is incredibly profitable and fast food executives are highly compensated; the parent companies that dominate the industry can afford to pay their hardworking frontline employees a genuine living wage. The overwhelming weight of economic evidence shows that increases in the minimum wage strengthens the economy by lifting families out of poverty, increasing aggregate demand, and reducing employee turnover. Raising the wage will not cost jobs; on the contrary, it will help us build a New York State economy of truly shared prosperity. The people of New York deserve an economy that works for all of us. From Niagara Falls to Hempstead and every place in between, too many working families are paid too little to meet their basic needs, to put food on the table, pay rent and get to work. This is the daily reality for millions of New Yorkers in the state with the greatest concentration of wealth in the nation. It must end. We urge the Wage Board and the Governor to raise the minimum wage to $15 in the fast food industry. We pledge to stand arm- in- arm with workers and advocates across our great state to ensure that this is just the first step: that soon we will live in a New York State where all workers earn a genuine living wage, have a voice on the job, and can raise their families in dignity and security. Signed, Name Office Region Melissa Mark- Viverito Speaker, New York City Council NYC Margaret Chin Council Member, New York City NYC Daniel Dromm Council Member, New York City NYC

2 Julissa Ferreras Council Member, New York City NYC Corey Johnson Council Member, New York City NYC Ben Kallos Council Member, New York City NYC Brad Lander Council Member, New York City NYC Stephen Levin Council Member, New York City NYC Mark Levine Council Member, New York City NYC Carlos Menchaca Council Member, New York City NYC Daneek Miller Council Member, New York City NYC Antonio Reynoso Council Member, New York City NYC Donovan Richards Council Member, New York City NYC Ydanis Rodriguez Council Member, New York City NYC Deborah Rose Council Member, New York City NYC Helen Rosenthal Council Member, New York City NYC Ritchie Torres Council Member, New York City NYC Jimmy Van Bramer Council Member, New York City NYC Jumaane D. Williams Council Member, New York City NYC Richard Conti President Pro Tem - Albany Common Capital Council, Albany Dorcey Applyrs Common Council Member, Albany Capital Catherine Fahey Common Council Member, Albany Capital Leah Golby Common Council Member, Albany Capital Kelly Kimbrough Common Council Member, Albany Capital Vivian Kornegay Common Council Member, Albany Capital Doug Bullock County Legislator, Albany Capital Peter Grimm County Legislator, Rensselaer Capital Christian Mathiesen Commissioner, Saratoga Springs Capital Marion Porterfield Councilwoman, Schenectady Capital Michael Bowe City Councilor, Oneida Central NY / Margaret Chase County Legislator, Onondaga Central NY / Lorene Dadey County Legislator, Onondaga Central NY / Helen Hudson City Councilor, Syracuse Central NY / Khalid Bey City Councilor, Syracuse Central NY / William Moehle Supervisor, Brighton Central NY / Cynthia Kaleh County Legislator, Monroe County Central NY / Joseph Morelle Jr County Legislator, Monroe County Central NY / Elaine Spaull City Council Member, Rochester Central NY /

3 Ellen Birnbaum County Legislator, Nassau County Long Island Siela Bynoe County Legislator, Nassau County Long Island Laura Curran County Legislator, Nassau County Long Island DuWayne Gregory County Legislator, Suffolk County Long Island Jay Schneiderman County Legislator, Suffolk County Long Island Kara Hahn County Legislator, Suffolk County Long Island Monica Martinez County Legislator, Suffolk County Long Island Kate Browning County Legislator, Suffolk County Long Island Anthony Eramo City Councilman, Long Beach Long Island Fran Adelson City Councilwoman, Long Beach Long Island Eileen Goggin City Council Member, Long Beach Long Island Scott Mandel City Councilman, Long Beach Long Island Anna Throne- Holst Town Supervisor, Southampton Long Island Jacqueline Gordon Councilwoman, Town of Babylon Long Island Anna Kaplan Councilwoman, Town of North Hempstead Long Island Viviana Russell Councilwoman, Town of North Hempstead Long Island Peter Zuckerman Councilman, Town of North Hempstead Long Island Charles Berman Receiver of Taxes, Town of North Long Island Hempstead Wayne Wink Town Clerk, Town of North Hempstead Long Island Connie Kepert Councilwoman, Brookhaven Long Island Tammie S. Williams, Elmont Library Trustee, Elmont Long Island MSW Carmen J Pineyro Village Trustee, Freeport Long Island Catherine Borgia Majority Leader, Westchester County Lower Hudson Board of Legislators Kenneth Jenkins County Legislator, Westchester County Lower Hudson MaryJane Shimsky County Legislator, Westchester County Lower Hudson Benjamin Boykin II County Legislator, Westchester County Lower Hudson Michael Sabatino Minority Leader Yonkers City Council, Lower Hudson Yonkers Christopher Johnson City Councilman, Yonkers Lower Hudson Paul Feiner Town Supervisor, Greenburgh Lower Hudson Susanne Donnelly Town Supervisor, Town of Ossining Lower Hudson Peter Parsons Town Supervisor, Lewisboro Lower Hudson Brian Tobin Mayor, Cortland on Hudson Lower Hudson Brian Pugh Trustee, Croton- on- Hudson Lower Hudson Maria Slippen Trustee, Croton- on- Hudson Lower Hudson Andrew Levitt Trustee, Croton- on- Hudson Lower Hudson Ann Gallelli Trustee, Croton- on- Hudson Lower Hudson Leo Wiegman Mayor, Village of Croton- on- Hudson Lower Hudson Robert Daraio Trustee, Village of Ossining Lower Hudson

4 John Codman III Trustee, Village of Ossining Lower Hudson Paul Piperato County Clerk, Rockland Lower Hudson Alexander J. Gromack Town Supervisor, Clarkstown Lower Hudson Shannon Wong County Legislator, Orange County Mid Hudson Christopher Eachus County Legislator, Orange County Mid Hudson Matthew Turnbull County Legislator, Orange County Mid Hudson Myrna Kemnitz County Legislator, Orange County Mid Hudson Richard Roberts County Legislator, Orange County Mid Hudson Judy Kennedy Mayor, City of Newburgh Mid Hudson Karen Mejia Councilwoman, City of Newburgh Mid Hudson Cindy Holmes City Council, City of Newburgh Mid Hudson Genie Abrams City Council Member, City of Newburgh Mid Hudson Kenneth Newbold Councilmen, Goshen Mid Hudson Harley Doles Town Supervisor, Monroe Mid Hudson Gerald Kleiner Alderman, Middletown Mid Hudson Sande Sommers Alderman, Middletown Mid Hudson Brendan Coyne Mayor, Cornwall- on- Hudson Mid Hudson Ralph Bisquert Highway Superintendent, Blooming Grove Mid Hudson Joel Tyner County Legislator, Dutchess County Mid Hudson Francena Amparo County Legislator, Dutchess County Mid Hudson April Farley County Legislator, Dutchess County Mid Hudson James Tracy Hermann Councilman, Poughkeepsie Mid Hudson Charles Kelly Councilman, Beacon Mid Hudson Peggy Ross City Councilperson, Beacon Mid Hudson Kenneth Wishnick County Legislator, Ulster County Mid Hudson David Donaldson County Legislator, Ulster County Mid Hudson Hector Rodriguez County Legislator, Ulster County Mid Hudson Lynn Archer County Legislator, Ulster County Mid Hudson Christina Dawson Alderwoman, Kingston Mid Hudson Steven Schabot Alderman, Kingston Mid Hudson Susan Zimet Town Supervisor, New Paltz Mid Hudson Jeffrey Logan Deputy Supervisor, New Paltz Mid Hudson Jen Metzger Councilwoman, Rosendale Mid Hudson Tiffany Garriga Alderman, Majority Leader, Hudson Mid Hudson Tom Wood Councilperson, Plattsburgh North Country Michael Kelly City Councilor, City of Plattsburgh North Country Cynthia Brock City Alderperson, City of Ithaca Southern Tier Seph Murtagh City Alderperson, City of Ithaca Southern Tier Gregory Rabb President City Council, Jamestown Southern Tier Marie Carrubba City Council Member, Jamestown Southern Tier Stephen Keefe Mayor, Village of Fredonia Southern Tier Peter Savage County Legislator, Erie County Western NY Mark Manna Council Member, Amherst Western NY

5 Diane Benczkowski Councilwoman, Cheektowaga Western NY Vickie Dankowski Deputy Town Clerk, Cheektowaga Western NY R.Tim McCarthy Trustee, Kenmore Western NY Johanna Coleman Town Clerk, Lancaster Western NY Owen Steed County Legislator, Niagara County Western NY Gene Hart Council Member, West Seneca Western NY Jacqueline Felser Town Clerk, West Seneca Western NY

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