RAISE UP NY COALITION LAUNCHES $30 NYC MINIMUM WAGE CAMPAIGN

For Immediate Release: March 10, 2026
Contact: Lisa Thomas, 347-415-6431, lisa@alignny.org
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RAISE UP NY COALITION LAUNCHES $30 FOR OUR CITY CAMPAIGN
TO RAISE NYC’S MINIMUM WAGE

New York, NY – Today, workers flooded City Hall to launch the $30 for Our City campaign, a new fight to raise the NYC minimum wage and deliver an urgent solution to our affordability crisis. Union leaders, workers, community groups, and businesses from the Raise Up NY coalition celebrated the introduction of the $30 for Our City Act (Int. 0757) — new legislation from Council Member Sandy Nurse to raise the wage floor for most New York City workers to $30 by 2030.

In attendance today from the Raise Up NY coalition were ALIGN, Amazon Labor Union-IBT Local 1, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, La Colmena, Legal Momentum, National Employment Law Project, New York Communities for Change, NY Healthy Nail Salons Coalition, NY Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, New Yorkers United for Childcare, One Fair Wage, PSC-CUNY, Teamsters Local 804, Trader Joe’s Union Local 5, Well Paid Maids, Women Creating Change, and Workers Justice Project. And alongside Council Member Nurse, elected champions in attendance included Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Council Members Alexa Avilés, Carmen De La Rosa, Crystal Hudson, Christopher Marte, and Chair of the Committee for Consumer and Worker Protection, Harvey Epstein.

More than a decade after leading the Fight for $15, the minimum wage in New York City is just $17 an hour, and lags behind other high-cost cities like Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, and even Flagstaff, AZ. But the cost of living has never been higher. One in every four New Yorkers is living in poverty, and 50% of working New Yorkers are struggling to cover their basic needs. Meanwhile, wealthy corporations are making record profits, while workers’ share of income has fallen to record lows, often forcing them to juggle multiple jobs to survive. Women, immigrants, and workers of color are hardest hit by low hourly wages and experience some of the most debilitating impacts of living on inadequate wages, from housing and food insecurity to lacking adequate healthcare and education resources. Finally, recent polling shows that one in three New Yorkers plans to leave the state in the next five years, citing the high cost of living as the primary reason.

On the campaign trail, now-Mayor Mamdani supported raising the minimum wage to $30 by 2030, elevating the minimum wage as a key pillar of his affordability platform. Now in office, the new administration has so far maintained focus on affordability. Following record snowfall last month, Mamdani raised hourly wages for emergency snow shovelers to $30, and the City received thousands of new applicants. The clear streets and sidewalks that followed demonstrated the power of paying a fair wage. Now, the Raise Up NY coalition is calling for his renewed support, along with Council Speaker Julie Menin’s, to deliver fair pay for working New Yorkers with the $30 for Our City Act.

The proposed legislation establishes a phased minimum wage increase initially tied to employer size. Employers with more than 500 employees (including associated franchisees) would be required to pay workers $20 an hour in 2027, $23 in 2028, $26 in 2029, and $30 starting in 2030. Employers with 500 or fewer employees would have a more gradual phase-in: $19 in 2027, $21.50 in 2028, $24 in 2029, $27 in 2030, and $29 in 2031. Starting in 2032, the minimum wage for all employers, regardless of size, would be $30, plus a cost-of-living adjustment. After that, the minimum wage would continue to increase annually to keep pace with the cost of living.

In 2023, Raise Up NY won a compromise minimum wage increase to $17 for downstate (NYC, Long Island, and Westchester) and $16 upstate by 2026, delivering a raise to more than one million New Yorkers statewide. Since then, the coalition has supported municipal and county organizing in Ithaca and Rochester, and now, is taking the fight to New York City as the fight for a living wage continues.

“New York City’s minimum wage is a poverty wage, which at $17 an hour, leaves over 1 million workers barely surviving on $500 a week,” said Council Member Sandy Nurse, the bill’s lead sponsor. “That’s why I’m introducing the $30 For Our City Act to raise the minimum wage to $30 for every worker, with automatic cost of living increases after 2030. NYC workers keep this city running. They deserve to thrive here, support their families, and enjoy the city they’ve built.”

“New York City’s minimum wage is too damn low! Workers are tired of settling for crumbs and being forced to live paycheck-to-paycheck, work multiple jobs, or leave our city while wealthy corporations make record profits. Every New Yorker deserves to thrive, and every worker deserves a fair wage. We need a $30 minimum wage that matches the high cost of rent, groceries, and life in NYC, so that our City can be a sustainable home for working families,” said Theodore A. Moore, ALIGN Executive Director.

“Raising the minimum wage must be a part of any serious conversation about combatting the affordability crisis,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Costs are skyrocketing, and the current minimum wage is simply not enough for New Yorkers to make ends meet. $30 by 2032 will grant New Yorkers increased financial security, pour more money into the local economy, and provide employers with a reasonable timeframe to prepare for higher wages. Thank you to Council Member Sandy Nurse, ALIGN, and the Raise Up NY Coalition for leading the charge.”

“A $30 minimum wage is about dignity, stability, and the right of working people to build a life in the city we serve every day. At Amazon, we see firsthand how one of the richest corporations in the world depends on low-wage labor to generate enormous profits. That’s why Amazon Labor Union-IBT Local 1 is proud to stand with a growing coalition demanding $30 for our city. When workers win higher wages, entire communities benefit, families are more stable, and local businesses grow. This bill is a bold step toward economic justice,” said Sultana Hossain, ALU-IBT Local 1 Recording Secretary.

“Raising New York City’s minimum wage is an investment in people, businesses and the economy. The cleaning industry is known for low pay, but we’ve shown it doesn’t have to be that way. By investing in our people, we avoid costly employee turnover and benefit from high productivity and great customer service. People want to work for us, and that allows us to grow. If we can do it in cleaning, it can work in every industry. And increasing the minimum wage will pump dollars right back into the economy as spending at local businesses,” said Aaron Seyedian, owner of Well-Paid Maids and a member of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage.

“New Yorkers need a new minimum wage that is indexed every year, anything less leaves far too many families struggling to survive,” said Council Member Harvey Epstein. “In the midst of an affordability crisis, working people should not be forced to choose between paying rent, putting food on the table, or covering childcare. We must use every tool at our disposal to ensure that the people who power this city can actually afford to live here. That starts with realizing the minimum wage to actually live here is at least $30 an hour.”

“New York City has become too expensive to raise a family or even keep up with the bills, so it’s time we raise the minimum wage,” said Council Member Chi Ossé. “For decades, the wealthy have fear-mongered that giving workers a livable wage would make the sky fall. In reality, it helps stop the displacement of the working class. Gradually raising the minimum wage for most workers to $30 an hour over is common sense. No family should be pushed out of the city they’ve contributed so much to.”

“Our minimum wage does not meet the needs of New Yorkers who struggle living paycheck-to-paycheck. It’s the job of our City Council to fight for dignified working conditions in our city and ensure that people’s basic needs are met. A $30 minimum wage would overcome the wage stagnation that has been harming New Yorkers for too long. While the cost of living keeps rising, wages must also keep rising. I’m proud to co-sponsor this bill and see it re-introduced this session,” said Council Member Alexa Avilés.

“$30 an hour isn’t a luxury wage in this city — it’s barely enough to get by,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez. “ A full-time worker earning $30 makes about $62,000 a year, while the average rent is nearly $4,600 a month. That math simply doesn’t work for working families. Raising the minimum wage is about acknowledging the real cost of living and making sure the people who keep this city running can afford to stay here.”

“Relying on Albany to set our city’s minimum wage has been disastrous for working families. It has caused pay in the city to lag far behind the spiraling cost of living and far behind wages in other cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and Denver that have enacted their own minimum wages. It’s time for New York City to follow their lead and enact a local minimum wage that matches our sky-high cost of living,” said Paul Sonn, State Policy Program Director at the National Employment Law Project.

“I’ve been a part-time warehouse worker at UPS for 17 years. A $30 minimum wage would make a huge difference in helping my family afford to live in New York. It will also help my union in negotiating more full time job promotions, stronger job protections, and benefits for me and my fellow Teamsters,” said Lennox James, part-time UPS worker, Teamsters Local 804.

“We all deserve to earn dignified wages for a day’s work. But as the purchasing power of our paychecks plummet, too many New Yorkers are working harder and harder for less and less,” said Elizabeth Joynes Jordan, Co-Legal Director of Make the Road New York. “As working-class communities struggle to afford skyrocketing rents, pay rising childcare costs, and keep food on the table, we need a $30 minimum wage so that everyone who makes their life in this city has the opportunity to thrive. We applaud Council Member Sandy Nurse for introducing this vital legislation, and look forward to working with our elected officials to make sure it becomes a reality.”

“Far too many New Yorkers are living day to day, forced to make impossible choices between rent, food, childcare, and transportation. That is not the future our communities deserve.” NYC Council Member Stevens, Chair of the Committee on Children & Youth, emphasizes, “When people work full-time, they should not have to live in constant survival mode. Raising the minimum wage is about providing stability and ensuring that working families have the opportunity to plan, grow, and thrive. No longer should we just settle for our communities getting by. If we want a city where our communities can truly prosper, we must commit to wages that reflect the real cost of living in New York.”

“Too many of the workers who keep New York City running are struggling to afford the very city they sustain. Council Member Nurse’s legislation recognizes the reality that the cost of living has far outpaced wages for far too long. Raising the minimum wage is about ensuring working people can afford to stay in this city and support their families. I’m proud to support this effort to move our city toward an economy that values the people who keep our city moving,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson.

“Before my time as a professor, teaching students, I was a student earning minimum wage at an ice cream shop and in restaurants as a line cook. I had to cobble together multiple jobs to pay for school and live. Passing a $30 minimum wage is not just about the wage; it’s about giving CUNY students the relief to be able to work one job and go to class. No student should go hungry or be homeless or lose out on the chance to get an education because they have to work multiple jobs. Raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do, and the PSC is proud to stand with the Raise Up NY Coalition,” said Arturo Enamorado, CUNY Professor, PSC-CUNY.

“No New Yorker working full time should live in poverty,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “As the cost of living continues to rise, our wages must rise with it. Raising the minimum wage to $30 by 2030 is about fairness, stability, and making sure working-class New Yorkers can stay in the communities they helped build. When workers thrive, our neighborhoods and our entire city thrive.”

“Raising New York City’s minimum wage is not just about pay—it’s an investment in building the middle class and strengthening the economic security of workers and their families. With the cost of living soaring, working New Yorkers are facing an affordability crisis, forced to cut back on basic necessities like food, transportation, and utilities, making it nearly impossible to make ends meet. The $30 for Our City campaign is a critical step to ensure every worker can earn a living wage and live with dignity. Increasing the city minimum wage to $30 per hour is an essential policy to address the economic reality millions of New Yorkers face and to ensure that every worker can earn a living wage, support their families, and help our city thrive,” said Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director, Workers’ Justice Project.

“We believe everyone deserves equal economic opportunity, which is why it’s essential that we roll out a pathway toward a $30 per hour minimum wage. $30 for Our City addresses the issue highlighted in WCC’s Unequal Ground report on the gender pay gap: low-wage roles are dominated by women, especially women of color and immigrant women, who are the hardest hit by New York City’s cost-of-living crisis. This change represents a critical step toward ensuring working women can meet their basic needs and remain in the city they help sustain,” said Sharon Sewell-Fairman, President of Women Creating Change.

“Council Member Nurse’s bill is essential to addressing our affordability crisis and its underlying causes, which stem from systemic discrimination. Today in New York, women make up over half of the low-wage workforce, carrying out essential jobs, like care work, that sustain our economy. Yet, because we devalue this work, these jobs do not pay enough for workers to cover basic necessities like housing and food, or to care for their own families. Every worker in our city deserves a wage that allows them to live with dignity, which means we must act with urgency to increase our minimum wage to keep pace with the cost of living,” said Seher Khawaja, Director of Economic Justice for Legal Momentum.

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Raise Up NY is a coalition of labor unions, community groups, workers’ rights organizations, and businesses that support underpaid workers in the fight for fair wages and an economy that works for everyone. In 2023, the coalition fought to pass the Raise the Wage Act for a higher state minimum wage with annual cost-of-living increases, winning a partial victory when Governor Hochul adopted a minimum wage that reached $17 downstate and $16 upstate this year. But these raises are far from enough, and the fight for a living wage continues. Now, we’re taking the fight to New York City — once a leader in wages, the most expensive city in the nation is now far behind high-cost-of-living cities like Denver, San Francisco, and Seattle. One in every four New Yorkers lives in poverty. Families are struggling with rising costs of rent, groceries, and childcare, exacerbating poor health, homelessness, and displacement. We need to tackle our affordability crisis head-on by raising NYC’s minimum wage to $30 by 2030. Coordinated by ALIGN, Raise Up NY includes steering committee members Strong Economy For All Coalition, Amazon Labor Union, New York Communities for Change, Women Creating Change, Legal Momentum, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, and Workers Justice Project, among others.