Senator Tkaczyk: Raising Minimum Wage Helps Women with Children, Benefits the Economy

State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk joined her colleagues to call for an increase to the  New York State minimum wage and index future increases to the rate of inflation. She said the increase would be especially beneficial to women with small children and have an overall positive effect on the economy.

 “More than 55 percent  of the workers in New York State receiving minimum wage are women, many of them with children,” Tkaczyk said. “Even those who can work 40 or more hours each week are living below the federal poverty level and are struggling to provide their families with decent housing, clothing and food.”

Tkaczyk said raising the wage would also have an overall economic benefit:

“Additionally, increasing the minimum wage will help small businesses and the local economy, because when working people have more money to spend, they spend it right in the community on basic necessities like housing, food and clothing. The increased demand helps small, local businesses earn greater profits and create more jobs.”

The legislation supported by the Democratic Conference would not only increase the minimum wage to $9.00 an hour, but would also index future increases with the rate of inflation. This legislation will ensure that New Yorkers earning the minimum wage never again incur de facto pay cuts due to stagnant wages and increased costs of living.