1199SEIU Members Celebrate Another Important Victory in the Fight for Fifteen

November 18, 2015

In another victory in the Fight for Fifteen, the mayors of two major upstate New York cities, Buffalo and Rochester, said that they will raise the minimum wage of municipal employees to $15 an hour.



1199SEIU healthcare workers stood with Governor Andrew Cuomo, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown at today’s historic announcements.



1199SEIU Executive Vice President George Kennedy said, “No matter the kind of work, a job should provide the means to a decent life. No working person should be living in poverty or struggling to make ends meet. The actions of Governor Cuomo and Mayors Warren and Brown are important steps in the right direction. We look forward to working together in our effort to raise the minimum wage to fifteen dollars for home care and nursing home workers and for all workers across New York State."



Governor Cuomo has pledged to support legislation that would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 for all workers by 2021. Today’s announcement came just one week after the governor said that New York State would set the example by phasing-in a $15 minimum wage for all state workers.