In the national fight to raise the minimum wage, New York City just declared a victory.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday is set to increase the wage for all of the city’s workers to $15, New York Daily News reported.

“We know that nothing will do more to lift up working families and move our economy forward than raising wages—and the city is leading by example by doing just that for 50,000 New Yorkers,” Mayor de Blasio told Daily News. “From pre-K and affordable housing, to paid sick and parental leave, we’re taking real action for working New Yorkers.”

In a city with one of the highest cost of living standards in the country, there are still some having to working on as little as $11.50/hr. The current action will ensure that those who are being paid less than $15 will see that as a wage minimum by the end of 2018, according to the New York Times. Among those who will be impacted are 20,000 unionized workers, including crossing guards, pre-K teachers, custodial workers, those with seasonal positions, and others.

Other cities that have opted for a $15 minimum wage include Los Angeles, San Francisco, with Seattle as the first. Washington, D.C. will put the change to vote in the next election.

This move, however, is not only a case for economic justice. As BYP 100 has made clear with their “Fight for $15” actions, economic justice is inextricably linked to racial and gender equity.

For more information, check out the video below:

Photo credit: Flickr

Author

  • Victoria M. Massie is a freelance writer and anthropologist who is currently the Staff Writer for Black Youth Project. Her work focuses on feminism, politics, science, and diaspora, but, more often than not, she spends her time obsessing about ideas of "home." She is a National Science Foundation fellow and a Lifetime Member of the West African Research Association.