History of NYS Minimum Wage Chart

There has been frequent discussion these past few weeks about the possible minimum wage increase in New York State. Lawmakers are debating over whether to increase the State minimum wage to Governor Cuomo's Proposed $8.75 or whether to wait for the Federal goverment increase to $9.00 as President Obama has mentioned. Upon following this topic I stumbled upon the below chart on the New York State Department of Labor website and thought I would share. The proposed Federal minimum wage increase is being being backed by the idea of keeping up with inflation, yet it still seems like quite a leap to increase by $1.75 all at once. It is obvious that the people who must live on such a wage are in need of a solution, but what sort of impacts will such a drastic increase have on our already sensitive economy? With the wage increase the cost of goods and services are sure to fluctuate as well. This is just some food for thought.

New York State's Minimum Wage is $7.25

Prior to 1962, state minimum wage rates varied from industry to industry.
October 15, 1962	Increased from $1.00 to $1.15
October 15, 1964	Increased from $1.15 to $1.25
January 1, 1967	Increased from $1.25 to $1.50
February 1, 1968	Increased from $1.50 to $1.60
July 1, 1970	Increased from $1.60 to $1.85
May 1, 1974	Increased from $1.85 to $2.00
January 1, 1975	Increased from $2.00 to $2.10
January 1, 1976	Increased from $2.10 to $2.30
October 6, 1978	Increased from $2.30 to $2.65
January 1, 1979	Increased from $2.65 to $2.90
January 1, 1980	Increased from $2.90 to $3.10
January 1, 1981	Increased from $3.10 to $3.35
April 1, 1990	Increased from $3.35 to $3.80
April 1, 1991	Increased from $3.80 to $4.25
March 31, 2000	Increased from $4.25 to $5.15
January 1, 2005	Increased from $5.15 to $6.00
January 1, 2006	Increased from $6.00 to $6.75
January 1, 2007	Increased from $6.75 to $7.15
July 24, 2009	Increased from $7.15 to $7.25

http://www.labor.ny.gov/stats/minimum_wage.asp

Article by Logan Barclay

Cutting Firefighters A Worrisome Idea

January 23, 2013
The Leader Herald

Referring to an article in The Leader-Herald, it appears once again the mayor has the Gloversville Fire Department in his sights to cut staffing and save money. This "cost saving measure" is particularly worrisome to me, as it should be to all of our elderly disabled and citizens dependent on oxygen and other services.

In the event of a fire, I cannot "wait for firefighters to be called in on overtime." I do not move quickly, my home has eight oxygen containers that are highly flammable, and, with all that firefighters have to do to fight a fire, cutting staff further would endanger my life and the lives of anyone else in a similar situation.

The mayor has no firefighting experience, but somehow he thinks he can decide what is needed? He stated, "The minimum manning and no-layoff clauses are luxuries this city can no longer afford. I am happy to pay overtime when we need to call people in for a fire or other emergency, but it pains me to pay extra money because previous administrations agreed to these terms."

These are luxuries? My family would disagree as would the families of the disabled and senior citizens. It pains him to pay? What of the pain that is caused families in the loss of a firefighter, grandmother, mother, father, or a child?

Mr. King also stated this plan would save the city about $100,000. Is that the dollar amount for the loss of a life? In this same article, Fire Chief Beth Whitman-Putnam said the firefighters are willing to work with the city this year and understand the fiscal troubles the city faces. She said a memorandum of understanding regarding staffing between the department and city was agreed to in 2011 and extended in 2012. She said under the conditions of the memorandum, the department is down three positions from the normal staffing level.

I suggest Mr. King not take it upon himself to push a further reduction in staff in a city with many old buildings that go up quickly when on fire.

Surely there are other ways to cut expenses without putting public safety in jeopardy. The mayor should also stop his comparisons with the city of Johnstown. They have half our population.

Perhaps Mr. King should ask for input from professionals before he decides what is in the best interest of public safety.

Article by Judy Marcoux

Resident of Gloversville

Understanding Our City

Over the past several months the United States Census Bureau has made much of the data collected during the 2010 Census publicly available. Thanks to armies of enumerators that knocked on doors during the 2010 Census, pretty much everyone has some awareness of what the Census is. However, many people are unaware of the ways in which the information gathered is relevant to the improvement our community. The data products released by the Census Bureau can be extremely useful in a number of ways: they shed light on trends within Gloversville as well as provide better insight into many of the issues that are already on our minds. In fact, this is the perfect time for a careful and critical review of the progress we have made over the past ten years and where we stand as a community today.

The case can be made that the only way we can tackle many of the challenges that face our city is to closely examine and interpret the wealth of available information. By better understanding the demography, population trends, and other data we can prevent the perpetuation of falsehoods in our public discourse. For example, one common misconception is that the population of Gloversville is declining. While it is safe to say our population has been stagnant, the claim that it is still in decline is simply false1. Unfortunately it is not uncommon for basic misinterpretations to become the grounds for opinions, ideas, and ultimately decisions.

Much of the information provided by the U.S. Census Bureau is collected through the Decennial Census and the American Community Survey. The Census takes place every ten years and is used primarily for gathering basic demographic, population, and housing data. On the other hand, the American Community Survey provides data about education, employment, transportation, income, housing, and much more; all of which is relevant to improving this city. But the census isn’t the only source of data about to our community. Efforts by New York State, the Chambers of Commerce and others have also yielded useful quantitative information.

Recently, new projects such as charter review have been announced in Gloversville. Past efforts are being revived with the reconvening of the Recreation Commission and the Blight Committee. While these developments have drawn some valid criticism, the fact that we’re taking action on these issues is a major step in the right direction. As we move forward it is critical that those trying to affect change in our community become familiar with the tools available. This is particularly important for our elected officials and city leadership. Informed decision-making is imperative; past trends can be used to forecast future changes, as well as facilitating sound long term planning. The fact that much of this data is completely free and public is just icing on the cake.

Despite the negativity that often permeates the collective dialogue about Gloversville, there has never been a shortage of people with good ideas and a positive outlook. What we need as a community is for the spirit of creativity to collide with the technical and quantitative perspectives. Ultimately we need to take a hard look at why certain problems exist before we can ever really start to effectively solve them.

1Here are some highlights from the 2000 and 2010 Censuses:

Gloversville in 2000	Gloversville in 2010
Total Population	Total Population
15,413	15,665
Age	Age
Under 18: 3,877	Under 18: 3,907
Over 18: 11,536	Over 18: 11,758
Over 65: 2,754	Over 65: 2,188
Housing	Housing
Total Units: 7,540	Total Units: 7,477
Occupied: 6,500	Occupied: 6,486
Owner Occupied: 3,515	Owner Occupied: 3,356
Renter Occupied: 2,985	Renter Occupied: 3,130
Vacant: 1,040	Vacant: 991