After see-sawing negotiations that lasted through the night, the New York State Legislature approved the latest budget at the beginning of April to boost the minimum wage to $15.

Although the budget passed, there has been wide dispute over the minimum wage hike in central New York, as Democrats in the area supported the minimum wage hike, while Republicans only approved the budget as a compromise to get other measures passed.

The bill was passed in a package deal that includes a new family leave plan, a tax break for the middle class beginning in 2018 and a record amount of aid for schools, amounting to $24.8 billion.

The state senate voted to pass the measure in an almost unanimous 61-1 vote. Members in the assembly contested the raise, though it passed with a 104 to 39 vote.

Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter (D-Syracuse) and Assemblyman Gary Finch (R-Syracuse) both advocate for many of the same components in the budget, such as the Paid Family Leave Plan, which will pay for 12 weeks off work for family illnesses or newborns, and increased spending on infrastructure. But while Hunter said the package is one of the most progressive bills passed “in a long time,” Finch claims raising the minimum wage would be detrimental to the economy.

Hunter said the minimum wage fight is not “a people thing,” but a partisan issue. To Hunter, the bill, along with the many benefits in the budget, will increase the money people have, thus increasing spending and spurring economic growth for Syracuse, which has long been plagued with economic stagnation and poverty, especially among minority groups. 

But others disagree. According to a survey sent to local business owners by the office of Assemblyman William Barclay (R-Syracuse), 90 percent of respondents said they oppose the minimum wage increase.

Sixty-four percent of the respondents said they would be forced to lay off workers or close their businesses. Farmers expressed concerns that they would not be able to compete if their labor costs were much higher than surrounding states, according to the survey.

In order to comply with the wage hike, other business owners responded saying they would cut benefits and hire more qualified participants. Barclay said this would result in the decrease in employment opportunities for youth.

Finch, who is against raising the minimum wage, adds that he believes New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo will fail to provide the reimbursement needed for not-for-profit organizations to cover the wage increase, even though this is in the new budget plans, according to a press release from Finch’s office.

In another press release, Finch said the hike could be detrimental for senior citizens who live on a fixed income and have not seen a cost of living adjustment for two years.

Hunter doesn’t buy that argument.

“It’s really difficult when you represent the most indigent population in the country, which is the city of Syracuse, and has the highest concentration of poverty, especially for black(s) and Hispanics, and to sit there and say, ‘Well, companies can’t afford to pay’ (when) the people can’t afford to live. And I think there’s a way in which we have to do better,” she said.

All things considered, this compromise was not easy on either end, said New York state Sen. John DeFrancisco, one of the most vocally opposed to the minimum wage increase, in a Syracuse.com article.

Republicans, though opposed to the minimum wage increase, were able to secure the middle-class tax cut and the record school funding, according to the article.

“To vote against that compromise that I still didn’t like, I’d be voting against the record state aid and other good things thrown in the bill that were good,” DeFrancisco said.

Published on April 12, 2016 at 11:50 pm

Contact Tara: trtolton@syr.edu