VTMBH Article: Body
The former Bronx Borough President, Fernando Ferrer, asked New York State Governor George Pataki to keep the promise he madein Spanishto Latinos.
Ferrer was referring to the proposal the governor made last week about exempting companies with 50 or fewer employees from paying the increased minimum wage, contradicting some statements made by his spokesperson Mercedes Padilla on June 4 to Hoy, after the state assembly approved raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.75 per hour.
Padilla said, The governor will support whatever steps need to be taken to raise the minimum wage, since for a long time he has looked for a way to improve the wages of New York workers.
Accompanied by members of the Working Families Party at City Hall, Ferrer said, The governor has not fulfilled his promise because 95 percent of the companies in New York wont need to raise the minimum wage if the increase is approved.
Governor Pataki must say in English what he already said in Spanish, because some of us understand both languages and we will translate what he said in Spanish for everyone else, said Ferrer. Not even a raise of $6.75 per hour will pay for the rent, food or education of the children.
As lawmakers in Albany discuss raising the minimum wage, Mexican workers like Roberto Aguilar wait for the bill to become a reality.
I work six days-a-week at a supermarket in Manhattan and earn $250. I would like to have a better salary, said Aguilar. If the raise is approved, he will earn a salary of $324 a week.
Roman Almonte, Aguilars co-worker, said if the minimum wage is raised, he would be able to send more money every week to Mexico. My dream of buying my own home would become a reality.
Erika Bozzi Gomez, from the Working Families Party, said that whomever argues that raising the minimum wage would affect the economy is wrong, because many studies have shown the contrary. The last time the minimum wage was raised, unemployment went down and the economy prospered because workers have more money to spend.
Bozzi Gomez pointed out that last Wednesday it seemed that the Senate would approve the law to increase the minimum wage. The governor prevented it because he has a lot of pressure from business owners. Eighty-one percent of New Yorkers support raising the minimum wage because $5.15 per hour is not sufficient.
Gomez added, The information we have is that the governor proposed that 95 percent of the companies with 50 employees or less not pay the new minimum wage. Of 492,000 companies in the state of New York, 469,000 will be exempt.
Another member of the Working Families Party, Dwight Loines, said New York has lagged behind in terms of raising the minimum wage as many states in the Northeast have raised their minimum wage. This is the best way of jumpstarting the economy, but the problem is that if companies are excluded, they are doing it with the majority of the workers, said Loines.
Ferrer was referring to the proposal the governor made last week about exempting companies with 50 or fewer employees from paying the increased minimum wage, contradicting some statements made by his spokesperson Mercedes Padilla on June 4 to Hoy, after the state assembly approved raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.75 per hour.
Padilla said, The governor will support whatever steps need to be taken to raise the minimum wage, since for a long time he has looked for a way to improve the wages of New York workers.
Accompanied by members of the Working Families Party at City Hall, Ferrer said, The governor has not fulfilled his promise because 95 percent of the companies in New York wont need to raise the minimum wage if the increase is approved.
Governor Pataki must say in English what he already said in Spanish, because some of us understand both languages and we will translate what he said in Spanish for everyone else, said Ferrer. Not even a raise of $6.75 per hour will pay for the rent, food or education of the children.
As lawmakers in Albany discuss raising the minimum wage, Mexican workers like Roberto Aguilar wait for the bill to become a reality.
I work six days-a-week at a supermarket in Manhattan and earn $250. I would like to have a better salary, said Aguilar. If the raise is approved, he will earn a salary of $324 a week.
Roman Almonte, Aguilars co-worker, said if the minimum wage is raised, he would be able to send more money every week to Mexico. My dream of buying my own home would become a reality.
Erika Bozzi Gomez, from the Working Families Party, said that whomever argues that raising the minimum wage would affect the economy is wrong, because many studies have shown the contrary. The last time the minimum wage was raised, unemployment went down and the economy prospered because workers have more money to spend.
Bozzi Gomez pointed out that last Wednesday it seemed that the Senate would approve the law to increase the minimum wage. The governor prevented it because he has a lot of pressure from business owners. Eighty-one percent of New Yorkers support raising the minimum wage because $5.15 per hour is not sufficient.
Gomez added, The information we have is that the governor proposed that 95 percent of the companies with 50 employees or less not pay the new minimum wage. Of 492,000 companies in the state of New York, 469,000 will be exempt.
Another member of the Working Families Party, Dwight Loines, said New York has lagged behind in terms of raising the minimum wage as many states in the Northeast have raised their minimum wage. This is the best way of jumpstarting the economy, but the problem is that if companies are excluded, they are doing it with the majority of the workers, said Loines.