FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, March 11, 2016
NEWS RELEASE
Buffalo, NYC, LI, Rochester rallies kick off “bFair2DirectCare” campaign
Minimum Wage efforts must provide for workers who serve those with developmental disabilities
“We stand with Governor Cuomo. Now we need Governor Cuomo to stand with us.”
In rallies from Buffalo to Long Island, thousands of advocates for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities today urged Governor Cuomo and the Legislature to fully fund a minimum wage increase for employees who care for those with disabilities.
Today’s rallies kicked off the #bFair2DirectCare campaign to ensure that non-profit organizations that provide direct services to New Yorkers with developmental disabilities – including autism, serious brain injury, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome – are not saddled with an unfunded mandate if the proposed minimum wage increase is enacted.
The organizations support Governor Cuomo’s proposed minimum age increase. But 90% percent of their funding comes from government sources and they would need increased funding to avoid service reductions, layoffs and denial of services.
“We stand with Governor Cuomo. Now we need Governor Cuomo to stand with us,” said Kevin Horrigan of People Inc. at the rally in Buffalo. “Please be fair to direct care workers.”
The not-for-profit agencies participating in the #bFair2DirectCare campaign provide direct care to people with developmental disabilities and are calling on the Governor and state Legislature to include funding in the FY 2016-17 state budget to allow them to provide corresponding raises to their employees.
Today’s rallies were held in Manhattan outside Governor Cuomo’s office, in Rochester at Heritage Christian Services’ Pieters Family Life Center, in Buffalo at People Inc., and on Long Island at the Perry B. Duryea, Jr. State Office Building in Hauppauge.
“We provide these services on the state’s behalf, almost all our funds come from state dollars and the state decides how much funding we receive. If the state mandates higher wages, we need them to come through with the funds,” said Winifred Schiff of the InterAgency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies at the Manhattan rally.
“We strongly support Governor Cuomo’s call for a living wage, but this would be a terrible unfunded mandate without increased funding from the state,” said Margaret Raustiala from the Alliance of Long Island Agencies. “Unlike a fast food restaurant, we can’t just raise our prices — the state must follow through with the funding so our important work doesn’t suffer.”
“Direct support professionals provide services essential for the health and safety of people with developmental disabilities. They are the backbone of our field. Providers must receive rate relief from New York State in order to be able to compensate them fairly for the critically important job they do, ” said Wendy McCarthy of The Developmental Disability Alliance of Western New York.
Patrick McGrath, Director of Grace Community Services of Rochester, said: “Direct support professionals are the lifeblood of service delivery for voluntary providers like us. New York State needs to fund a commensurate rate increase to offset the costs of the minimum wage mandate. Failing to do so will result in workforce reduction of DSPs to custodial levels, cessation of individualized and community-based services, and accelerated closure of agencies already beleaguered by inadequate rates in an increasingly regulated environment.”
Terri Manzione, a mom from Long Island said: “I am the mother of a 21-year-old man with moderate to severe autism. The direct service professionals who work with my son provide support in every aspect of his life. They prepare food for him, administer his medications, teach him how to socialize and work with his peers — dedicated workers who are there to support him in the worst of times when my 6’1″ son becomes aggressive and self-injurious. These selfless women and men do God’s work. They deserve a $15 minimum wage and the agencies employing them deserve the requisite funding to pay that wage, without which they may face financial peril. So I am rallying with thousands to ask our Legislature and Governor to fund this most deserved minimum wage mandate.”
Margaret Puddington, Coalition of Families for Direct Support Workers , who attended the Manhattan rally, said: “Direct support staff are our children’s guardian angels–they keep our children safe, healthy, and content. They deserve a raise, but NYS must fund it. Otherwise, provider agencies will have no choice but to cut our children’s staffing and services in order to pay the higher minimum wage.”
Steven Kroll, Executive Director of NYSARC, the state’s largest non-profit provider of services to individuals with developmental disabilities, said: “Time is short and budget decisions are being made in Albany that will dramatically affect the quality of life for people with developmental disabilities. We are asking for the same thing from our customer – New York State – that the Governor is asking of fast food franchises, and that’s a price increase for the essential services we provide.”
Today’s events were organized by not-for-profit organizations working collectively under the banner #bFair2DirectCare.
#bFair2DirectCare members are asking Governor Cuomo and the NYS Legislature to take action in the state budget, specifically:
- Funding increases indexed to any minimum wage increase legislation
- For the sake of equity and fairness, funding increases for dedicated higher wage, but still low wage, workers. Providers already pay many employees above — but not far above — the minimum wage because of their added responsibilities and seniority. The jargon for this aspect of the issue is “compression.”
#bFair2DirectCare statewide supporters include:
- Alliance of Long Island Agencies (ALIA)
- Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State (CP of NYS)
- The Developmental Disability Alliance of Western New York (DDAWNY)
- The InterAgency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies (IAC)
- The NYS Association of Community Residential Agencies(NYSACRA)
- NYSARC Inc.
- New York State Rehabilitation Association (NYSRA)
Follow #bFair2DirectCare on Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope
Media Contacts:
Statewide: Steve Greenberg, [email protected], 518-469-9858
Bob Bellafiore, [email protected], 518-928-8471
Rochester: Wendy McCarthy, Developmental Disabilities Alliance of WNY, [email protected], 585-794-0408
NYC: Winifred Schiff, InterAgency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies, [email protected],
(917) 750-1497
Long Island: Margaret Raustiala, Alliance of Long Island Agencies, Inc., [email protected], 631-521-1458
Ron Gold, [email protected], 516-297-1637
Buffalo: Kevin Horrigan, People Inc., [email protected], 716-866 5893
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