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Responding to NYS Assembly Speaker Silver’s Call for a Minimum Wage of $8.50/hour, the Tompkins County Workers’ Center Calls for a Minimum Wage That Is a Living Wage!

The Tompkins County Workers’ Center (TCWC) agrees with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and other lawmakers in Albany that the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour cannot cover the basic needs of workers in New York. However, the minimum wage proposed by Speaker Silver, $8.50 an hour, is not enough of a change: it is time to embrace a Living Wage as the Minimum Wage.

The TCWC, originally called the Living Wage Coalition, proposes that the Minimum Wage be raised to $12.78/hour. $12.78 an hour is the Living Wage that is calculated biannually by Alternatives Federal Credit Union in Ithaca as the amount that a single person working 40 hours per week, without health insurance, needs to make in order to provide their basic human needs without accessing governmental services.
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Raise New York’s Minimum Wage

How much money does it take to live in Tompkins County, with its high rents, heating bills and gas prices? Could you live securely on NYS’s minimum wage, $7.25 an hour? A movement is growing across the state to raise that minimum wage; The Tompkins County Workers’ Center is part of that movement. Will you join us?

Raise N.Y.’s minimum wage
By Dan Cantor AND Camille Rivera, Commentary

Imagine what it would be like to live on $300 per week.
That’s just about what nearly 700,000 New York state workers earn, according to the federal Census Bureau. That’s 8 percent of the statewide workforce.

More than a million minimum wage and near-minimum wage workers got raises on Jan. 1 that will help struggling families put food on the table, keep the heat on through the winter, and make ends meet.
None of those families live in New York, however.
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WE NEED YOUR HELP! ‘Wage Theft’ Days of Action

(ITHACA) The Tompkins County Workers’ Center and the Labor-Religion Coalition of the Finger Lakes has answered the call from Interfaith Worker Justice to participate in its National Wage Theft Days of Action, helping to create a more just workplace, locally, and throughout the State of New York. We invite our members and supporters of the ‘Community Union’ to participate in this new campaign

How does our National Wage Theft Days of Action campaign work? The idea is for you to connect with workers in establishments where you shop, where you eat, where you buy anything, where you visit loved ones. We have a simple brochure for you to give out: The 8 1/2 by 11 sheet, folded in four ways, educates workers in the following areas:
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What Does the ‘Occupy’ Movement Mean for All of Us?

From Wednesday, 10/20 edition of the Ithaca Journal.
After hearing about the Occupy Wall Street protests in Manhattan, we were intrigued about what the protests mean in terms of the issues that are of driving concern to us: issues of economic and social inequality that we witness on a daily basis in Tompkins County and Central New York. Issues resulting from the ways in which power is doled out to those who can game the system simply because of their own economic privilege. As a result, we decided to do an informal fact-finding mission on behalf of the Tompkins County Workers’ Center (TCWC) on October 1st, the day of the march to the Brooklyn Bridge. Upon our arrival, we were struck by the absolute diversity and commitment of everyone who was at that Saturday protest.
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Support Teachers in Newfield Who Are at Budget Impasse with Administration

The Newfield Teachers (Newfield is a rural area of Tompkins County) are picketing the School Board meeting (247 Main Street, Newfield) on Thursday October 20th at 5:30 as they are currently at impasse. They are looking for some support as they are a small school and would like a big turnout. There will be some people going from the Workers’ Center. If you want in, please holler out at us! (Via email, TCWRH@tcworkerscenter.org of 607-269-0409) (This issue also soooooo relates to the Millionaires Tax that our Illustrious Governor Cuomo would like to protect our Millionaires from!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Occupy Cornell Protest and General Assembly: Friday, October 21st, 4:30 to 7 p.m. @ Ho Plaza

On Saturday, Oct 15, the 99% took action in 951 cities–Ithaca included–and 82 countries as we marched on Times Square, the London Stock Exchange, and capitols in Italy, South Korea, Japan, Australia….

At Cornell, we rallied on Ho Plaza and called for the first General Assembly of #OccupyCornell. Now it’s our responsibility to stand with the global movement–to build the forum for where this conversation begins, to give an equal voice to those who have been voiceless, and to grasp and confront the challenges we face as students and Americans.

Ithaca Rally in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street

Join the Workers’ Center and Ithaca’s MoveOn Council at the Occupy Wall Street solidarity rally on Wednesday, October 5th at 4:30pm at the Bank Alley Entrance to the Commons. That is the north entrance to the Commons at E. Seneca and N. Tioga Streets, near the downtown post office, parking garage and Hilton Garden Inn.

Get up! Stand up! It’s time for us to make this country work for the 99%, not just the richest bags and individuals.

Labor Day PIcnic Awards Finally Announced!

Mother Jones Award: Jamie Dangler, Professor of Sociology at SUNY/Cortland and United University Professions Organizer (SUNY/Cortland)

Joe Hill Award: Labor Initiative Promoting Solidarity (LIPS), Student labor solidarity group at Ithaca College formed this past school year that played an absolutely instrumental role on campus and in the community about the successful campaign for a Living Wage for all Ithaca College Dining Service workers (employed by the Sodexo Corporation).
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Save the Date! Minigolf Fundraiser!

Buy tickets at the Workers’ Center or at the Tburg Minigolf gates. Come on out to support the Workers’ Center while having fun on Tburg Minigolf’s 18 holes!
Rain date: October 16

Your Workplace Safety & Health: Fair and Panel Discussion

Your Workplace Health & Safety, More Crucial Now Than Ever: Fair and Panel
Discussion, September 27, 2011

Your Workplace Health & Safety Fair will offer information and
problem-solving solutions about occupational illness and injury, and
safety measures for specific workplaces for workers, managers and business
owners. The Discussion Panel, led by regional experts in occupational
safety and health, will include worker protections and the crucial need to
preserve them.

We invite the entire community to a free, two part Workplace Health & Safety
Event at the Tompkins County Public Library at 101 E. Green Street in Ithaca, NY.

From 4 until 7pm, the Health & Safety Fair will feature tablers with
information and problem solving approaches including but not limited to
construction trades, ergonomics (prevention of repetitive motion
injuries), indoor air quality, healthcare workers and bullying and
workplace violence.

From 7 until 9pm, Dr. Michael Lax, director of the Central NY Occupational
Health Clinical Center, and Christopher Adams, area director of the
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), will lead a panel
discussion, ‘Why Workplace health & safety protections are more crucial
than ever.’

Cosponsored by Midstate Education & Service Foundation and the Tompkins
County Workers’ Center.

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Greg Evans

Featured in our Spring '07 Newsletter, Greg came to the Center for help in his job where he experienced discrimination. Standing up for himself, and with the Workers' Center, Greg is a shining example of how we must learn to stand up for ourselves, but do it along with others.

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