150 West 30th Street, 15th floor, New York, NY 10001
p 212-645-6360 / f 212-627-8847
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE WAGE BOARD
June 22, 2015
I am Winifred Schiff, Associate Executive Director for Legislative Affairs at the InterAgency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies*(IAC) and we thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony regarding raising the minimum wage for food service workers in NYS.
Hard working New Yorkers deserve a living wage. Too many people across the state still qualify for public assistance despite working full time and increasing the minimum wage is fiscally prudent as those dollars are pumped directly back into the economy. We fully support the Governor’s initiative to raise the minimum wage for food service workers but also for all people earning less than $15 per hour. Targeting only one sector will lead to unintentional negative consequences.
Employers offering lower paid jobs compete from the same labor pool including many positions in social services agencies. For example, people who support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who perform physically and emotionally strenuous work requiring highly developed judgment and patience are among this group.
Workers in our residential, day and education programs are required to receive extensive training and work in a highly accountable, closely scrutinized environment. Because it is necessary to protect the vulnerable people we serve, our employees are subject to background checks and serious consequences for lapses in care. Despite the required level of expertise, our staff members are often compensated ator slightly above minimum wage.
Neither Medicaid nor State Education Department funds support a higher rate of pay for these essential employees so in order to increase pay to our workers we will need additional funds from the State. And in addition to increasing the minimum wage, we need to consider those who have made careers improving the lives of others who are currently earning more than the entry-level rate. When the minimum is raised for new workers, current workers with experience and greater expertise should be compensated at a commensurate level and human services agencies and those providing services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities will need additional funding to cover increases for these valuable employees as well.
IAC members are already finding it difficult to attract and retain workers. A targeted increase will cause more of our employees to seek employment elsewhere and make it difficult to maintain the health and safety of the people in our programs.
Again, we support an increase in the minimum wage for all hard working New Yorkers and urge the Wage Board, The Commissioner and the Governor to consider the consequences of increasing wages for only one sector of the labor force and the extremely negative affect this will have on other sectors, especially on social services and the people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, served by IAC members. We stand ready to participate in future efforts to fairly compensate hard working New Yorkers.
contact information:
Winifred Schiff
Associate Executive Director for Legislative Affairs
InterAgency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies, Inc.
150 West 30th Street 15th floor
New York, NY 10001
o 212-645-6360
c 917-750-1497
* The InterAgency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies, Inc. (IAC) is a membership organization of 150 voluntary not-for-profit providers of services to individuals with developmental disabilities, and their families, in the New York City metropolitan region, along with associate members in other parts of the state. Our membership operates early intervention programs, preschools, schools, residences, clinics, employment and day services, and family support programs with a daily capacity of 100,000.