Op-Ed | NY's human services workforce is done waiting for partial justice | amNewYork

"Every morning in New York, before most of us have poured our first cup of coffee, hundreds of thousands of workers are already on the job. They are helping an elderly woman in Buffalo get out of bed. They are sitting with a child in foster care who had a bad night. They are supporting a man with a disability in Queens so he can live in his own apartment. There are 800,000 of them across this state, and without their labor, New York's social safety net would not exist."

"New York's nonprofit human services workforce is trapped in a long-running wage crisis caused by decades of underfunded government contracts. Each year, costs go up and wages fall behind. Legislators praise workers while failing to cover the true cost of their labor. Cost of living increases are pointed to as progress, rather than acknowledged as a simple inflation adjustment, and meanwhile no meaningful progress has been made to address the chronic underpayment of this workforce."

"Last year, the state approved a 2.6 percent inflation-based raise for nonprofit human services workers. This year, Governor Kathy Hochul's proposed budget reduces that increase to 1.7 percent even though inflation is currently 2.7 percent. Lawmakers should restore the full amount needed to match rising costs. Anything less is a pay cut."

New York employs 800,000 human services workers who provide critical care to elderly individuals, children in foster care, and people with disabilities. Despite decades of being called essential, these workers face a chronic wage crisis caused by underfunded government contracts. The state approved a 2.6 percent inflation-based raise last year, but Governor Hochul's proposed budget reduces it to 1.7 percent despite current inflation at 2.7 percent. This represents a pay cut. The fundamental problem stems from government contracts that fail to cover true labor costs, forcing providers to do more with less. Cost-of-living increases are presented as progress rather than acknowledged as basic inflation adjustments, while meaningful wage improvements remain absent.

Read at www.amny.com