(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – There were Union Leaders who spoke, along with those from Non-Profit Community Groups, Members of the local Business Community and a host of Elected Officials on Friday (May 31st) at United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 9’s Suburban Buffalo Union Hall - an unlikely alliance brought together to support one issue: Establish a Statewide Minimum Wage floor to ensure not one Worker across all of New York is left behind.

All are part of the Raise Up NY Coalition, which consists of more than 160 Labor Unions, Community Groups, Workers’ Rights Groups, Businesses Organizations and Elected Officials who’ve joined together to fight for the Upstate Parity and Minimum Wage Protection Act (S8154/A9093) - which would establish a statewide Minimum Wage floor to ensure no Worker is left behind, and to also guarantee annual raises for Workers across the State.

Right now, current State Law only raises the Minimum Wage to $16-an-hour in Upstate New York and $17-an-hour Downstate - by 2026.

And it just seems that everything costs more these days.

For example, those who spoke said rent in Buffalo has increased more than 25% over the past few years and that the region has also seen a troubling uptick in the price of groceries.

In the end that leaves Workers here in Western New York behind - and failing to meet a living wage that those who spoke at the event said should be $26-an-hour. 

“We ‘all fought hard’ to raise the hourly wage in 2023, ‘but only received a partial’ victory,” UAW Region 9 Director Dan Vicente (Pictured Below/WNYLaborToday.com Photos) said.  “Both of the (current) wages ‘are woefully low when it comes to the cost of living.’  ‘And it is not equitable to have one wage for Upstate and another for Downstate.’  ‘Everyone needs to be paid the same fair pay for a fair day’s work.’  Workers ‘deserve’ parity (no matter where they live in New York).  ‘This is just not cutting it.’”

“And it is ‘unacceptable,’” he continued. “We’re ‘not’ radicals.  ‘We have a moral obligation to raise the hourly wage to reduce’ job poverty.  Upstate ‘will not be left behind and that is why we are here to band together because, morally - it is the right thing to do.’”

In addition to the UAW, representatives of a number of other Unions were in attendance, including the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Communications Workers of America (CWA), United University Professions (UUP) and the Rochester AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation.

Also participating were Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Buffalo’s Rose Jade Consulting, New York State Assembly Members Jon Rivera and Karen McMahon, Erie County Legislature Chairwoman April Baskin, County Legislature Majority Leader Tim Meyers, County Legislator Howard Johnson and the Partnership for Public Good.

Rochester Labor Federation President Dan Maloney (Pictured Below/WNYLaborToday.com Photo), who also serves as President of UAW Local 1097 in The Flower City, told those in attendance: “We ‘hear some of the right on the political spectrum say that increasing the Minimum Wage will kill’ jobs.  ‘They are wrong.’  When Workers who are ‘at or near the bottom of the wage earning scale (get a raise) - guess what?’  ‘They spend it!’  They ‘spend it on necessities like food, clothing, housing and transportation.’  ‘Every dollar goes back into the local economy and that increased business activity, grows tax revenue and starts an upward’ economic cycle.  And using U.S. Census data, Rochester ‘has the highest childhood poverty rates in the Nation - and Buffalo isn’t too far behind.’  ‘Almost one third’ of Rochester Households ‘live below the poverty line and nearly half live in extreme’ poverty.  ‘Again - Buffalo, Syracuse and other Upstate Cities are on this list.’  ‘So - yes, we need a raise.’”

CWA District 1 Regional Director Deb Hayes (Pictured Below/WNYLaborToday.com Photo), whose Union represents 15,000 Health Care Workers Upstate, said: “We ‘cannot leave Upstate behind.’  Rent is up (35.5%), while wages have risen just (12.8%).  ‘We cannot, absolutely, afford a lesser’ wage increase.  ‘There are too many people who work Minimum Wage jobs - every day, who can barely afford to live.’  And we are living in a City ‘as poor as Buffalo, trying to take care of people who are ill and who do not have health care’ (benefits).  ‘We are asking them if they have a roof over their heads, clean water.’  ‘If they don’t, they will come back to our hospitals even sicker.’  ‘Yes, this is a moral issue and we cannot leave anyone behind.’”

Alissa Karl (Pictured Below/WNYLaborToday.com Photo), who teaches English at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport and also serves as UUP Statewide Vice President for Academics, said: “(Unions) ‘fight for contracts that bring people up and we need to do that for all’ Workers.  I have students who work’ two to three jobs (while going to school) and some who work full-time.’  That’s why we are calling on the Governor and the Legislature ‘to have the backs of every’ Worker in this State.”

The UAW’s Vincente wound up the news conference by telling all: “The system ‘we are in is failing us’.  Governor Hochul, ‘you come from a family of Blue Collar Workers, so prove it to us.’  ‘We (all) deserve the same wages.’  ‘It’s the right thing to do.’”