Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Jennifer Geiling on behalf of a campaign for a minimum wage for human services workers

2:06:05

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3 min

Jennifer Geiling testifies in support of a charter amendment to mandate that city contracts for human services be funded sufficiently to pay workers a wage reflecting the city's official "true cost of living." She argues the current low wages (~$40k/year) paid to the predominantly female and minority workforce are poverty-inducing, contradicting charter goals of equity and economic prosperity, and fall drastically short of the city's own cost of living standard.

  • Proposes a charter amendment linking human services contract funding to the city's true cost of living measure.
  • Highlights the low pay (~$40k) and resulting economic insecurity ($63k gap) for the ~600,000 workers in the sector.
  • Argues current funding levels violate charter principles of equity and economic opportunity for marginalized groups.