Res 0610-2015

By The Speaker (Council Member Mark-Viverito) and Council Members Dromm, Miller, Kallos, Levin, Johnson, Williams, Levine, Arroyo, Chin, Constantinides, Gibson, Lander, Palma, Richards, Rose, Koslowitz, Rosenthal, Menchaca, Crowley, Rodriguez, Van Bramer, Cornegy and Eugene Whereas, The most recently available data from the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity indicates that based on the New York City poverty threshold, poverty rates increased from 19.0 percent in 2008 to 21.4 percent in 2012; and Whereas, New York City is the 16th most expensive city in the world to live in and the most expensive city in the United States, according to a 2014 study by Mercer, a global consulting company; and Whereas, According to a 2014 National Employment Law Project ("NELP") report, An Unbalanced Recovery: Real Wage and Job Growth Trends, recent job growth in New York City has primarily been concentrated in low wage industries such as fast food; and Whereas, Indeed, according to a 2013 NELP study, Super-Sizing Public Costs: How Low Wages at Top Fast-Food Chains Leave Taxpayers Footing the Bill, the majority of jobs in the fast-food industry are low wage; and Whereas, The same 2013 NELP study estimates that 52 percent of workers in the fast-food industry rely on at least one public assistance program; and Whereas, According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, workers of color and women are more likely to earn low wages; and Whereas, Given the high cost of living, New York City workers need a higher minimum wage in order to keep pace with other workers around the country; and Whereas, A higher minimum wage could help address the serious income inequality that exists in New York City; and Whereas, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo recognized New York City's unique position by recently proposing a separate minimum wage for the City; and Whereas, According to a 2013 NELP study an average family in New York City would need to earn $15 to $16 per hour to be "self-sufficient;" and Whereas, The federal government last raised the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour in 2007; and Whereas, The New York State minimum wage is presently $8.75 per hour and is scheduled to increase to $9.00 per hour at the end of 2015; and Whereas, As of February 2015, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington State have a minimum wage greater than $9 per hour; and Whereas, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Bernalillo County, New Mexico; Montgomery County, Maryland; Prince George's County, Maryland; San Francisco, California; San Jose, California; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Seattle, Washington, and Washington DC, have each adopted a local minimum wage; and Whereas, Seattle's minimum wage is currently $9.47 per hour and will rise to $15 per hour by 2021; and Whereas, San Francisco's minimum wage is $11.05 per hour, and will also rise to $15 per hour by July, 2018; and Whereas, According to a joint 2014 NELP and Fiscal Policy Institute study, Why New York State Should Let Cities and Counties Enact Higher Local Minimum Wages, local increases in minimum wage results in "significantly improved job and living conditions for workers and families at the bottom of their economies;" and Whereas, Furthermore, according to the United States Department of Labor, increasing the minimum wage spurs small business development, greater consumer spending and sustained economic growth; and Whereas, Authorizing New York City to establish its own minimum wage will result in a minimum wage that correlates to the City's high cost of living and better reflects the reality of living in New York City; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation granting New York City the authority to set its own minimum wage. GZ LS 4455.2 03/10/15