- Tapia Alfredo prepares a sub at the Subway on 149th St. in Mott Haven. Photo by Anika Anand
Minimum wage hike of $1.25 not enough, workers say
Mott Haven residents say a current proposal to raise New York’s minimum wage is welcome, but doesn’t go far enough.
Sen. Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) introduced the wage legislation to the state Senate on Feb. 7. Klein’s bill–the same legislation that Democrats brought to the State Assembly earlier this month―raises the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 and bases any future minimum wage increases on the rate of inflation.
If the legislation is passed, New York will have the third highest minimum wage in the country behind Oregon, at $8.80, and Washington, at $9.04. There are four states that tie their minimum wages to inflation rates.
“The New York City economy, especially the economy in the Bronx, is becoming more of a service economy,” said Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Klein. “It’s unconscionable that these people who are struggling and who are working hard every day are getting paid an hour the same as two cups of coffee.”
One of those service workers, Tapia Alfredo, 43, who works in a Subway branch in Mott Haven, agreed that earning $7.15 an hour is just not enough. Alfredo, who moved to the Bronx from Puerto Rico seven months ago, took a short break from making sandwiches to describe all the expenses he is trying to handle: cell phone bills, rent and supporting his 19-year-old daughter who is in college. An increase in the minimum wage would be welcome, he said.
Many of the South Bronx workers interviewed gave a similar response: Of course they want a higher minimum wage, but would $1.25 really make that much of a difference?
“When you think about it, it’s $7.25 to $8.50. Wow, big deal!” said Takera Gweh, 22. She’s worked at CVS Pharmacy for the past seven months part-time earning $7.60 an hour to help pay for her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Not only is the pay increase small, but she predicted it will just result in employers cutting people’s hours.
Bronx resident Amir Korim said the minimum wage should be at least $10.
“My girlfriend works at Burger King and they’re making millions of dollars a day and they’re paying her $7.25 an hour,” he said as he shook his head. His $8 hourly wage at a newly opened deli on Third Avenue is not enough to cover the increasing cost of rent, food and “other basic stuff,” he said.
Nasir Muhammad, a business consultant in the Bronx and a staunch Republican, said raising the minimum wage could deter some businesses from creating new jobs, since they would have to pay their employees more. And in this tight economy, where jobs are at a premium, he thinks it’s better to focus on job growth than paying workers more.
“At this particular juncture, if small businesses aren’t creating jobs at the level minimum wage is now, I don’t know why you would expect them to be able to afford to pay someone at a higher level,” he said.
Given that many lower-income workers live in the South Bronx, Muhammad said it would be better to get as many people possible into the workforce so they can at least have some sort of income and gain some job experience.
Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx), who represents much of Mott Haven, said conservative warnings that a wage hike will mean fewer jobs are just scare tactics. He wishes elected officials could increase the minimum wage by more than what’s being proposed.
“Adding $1.25 is not enough, but if that’s all we can go, then I will support that with my eyes closed,” he said. “It’s better than nothing.”
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