New York labor coalition wants worker protections

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Labor leaders and community groups said that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature should act now to protect working families. Against the backdrop of a looming Trump administration, they outlined how to keep New Yorkers from getting left behind.

Advocates demanded relief from rising costs and safeguards in the form of:

• Wage increases
• Statewide wage parity
• Unemployment reform
• Better benefits for excluded workers
• Publicly funded childcare
• Fair pay for home care workers
• Permanent affordable housing
• Higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy

A rally at Hochul’s Manhattan office on November 20 brought the labor community together to deliver a petition demanding increased wages. And a coalition of 27 organizations also wrote a letter on November 14 urging Hochul to tackle affordability by backing policies to benefit marginalized communities and the working class. You can read that letter at the bottom of this story.

Rising costs for necessities like housing and childcare disproportionately affect women, immigrants, and communities of color, they noted. Undocumented immigrant workers and their families cannot receive unemployment or disability coverage.

According to the November 14 letter-writers, state reforms should make sure that all workers get fair treatment and equal protection even without legal status. The coalition also pushed for policies to defend LGBTQ+ workers who face hiring and wage discrimination.

They said that the state's 2023 minimum wage increase still falls short of a $26-per-hour living wage. Many low-wage jobs lack any protections or benefits, making them particularly vulnerable to federal rollbacks. And tipped workers, who often earn less than minimum wage, stand to lose even limited protections secured under Pres. Joe Biden, they said.

"Ending the subminimum wage is essential," said Saru Jayaraman, cofounder of One Fair Wage.

Childcare providers also often receive low pay despite the essential nature of the profession. Publicly funding childcare would let parents—particularly moms—reenter the workforce and drive the economy through greater income and sales tax. Low pay also drives a statewide staffing shortage in the home care industry that serves the families of elderly and disabled New Yorkers.

The coalition also said that passing the New York Climate Change Superfund Act would create thousands of new union jobs to build climate resilience. They also said that closing tax loopholes and raising rates progressively would pay for such worker protections, housing, and social programs.

Almost 40% of New Yorkers spend over 30% of their income on housing. Advocates back policies that would make high-quality, mixed-income housing affordable to rent or buy. They said that rent control and more public housing would prevent displacement and predatory gouging.

What's more, these political leftists asked voters to hold their representatives accountable. They told Democratic state lawmakers to transparently communicate any such plans to their constituents, which would rebuild trust wherever they lost blue ground in the last election.

"You must be resolute in standing with us every year—not just pay us lip service when you want our vote," the letter read. "It’s time for blue-state leaders to stand up against far-right and corporate power, and fight harder and better than they’ve ever fought before."

The advocacy group One Fair Wage organized the rally at the Governor's Office in New York City on November 20. It included a solidarity turkey giveaway for struggling families.

The coalition letter to Hochul and the legislature was undersigned by ALIGN: The Alliance for a Greater New York, Citizen Action of New York, Coalition for Economic Justice, Community Voices Heard, District Council 37 AFSCME, Economic Policy Institute, Empire State Indivisible, Food Chain Workers Alliance, Housing Justice for All, Invest in Our New York, Long Island Progressive Coalition, Make the Road New York, National Day Laborer Organizing Network, New York Communities for Change, the Northeast NY Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, the NY Healthy Nail Salons Coalition, Popular Democracy in Action, Proyecto Faro, Red de Pueblos Trasnacionales, Strong Economy for All Coalition, The Action Lab New York, Tompkins County Workers’ Center, Unchained, VOCAL-New York, Worker Justice Centers of New York, and the Workplace Project. You can read their letter here: