Metro Justice invites Assemblyman Joe Morelle to meet with Rochester families in response to his statement today about a lower minimum wage increase or longer phase in 

Rochester, NY – At a time when half of the children in the City of Rochester are living in poverty, it’s hard to believe that Assemblyman Morelle, a long time representative of the city and the second most powerful person in the State Assembly, would consider a minimum wage increase that takes even longer to get to $15 than the one backed by Governor Cuomo and the Assembly.

We invite Assemblyman Morelle to meet with families this weekend to hear what it’s like to work hard every day while still not being able to make ends meet in the City of Rochester.

The current proposal already has a 5-year phase-in to $15 an hour – about a $1 a year wage increase. But according to the National Employment Law Project, a single adult living in Rochester will need $16.12 an hour just to pay for the basics like food, housing and transportation once the law is fully phased-in in 2021. And a single parent with a child will need $31.11.

In a city where we’ve put so many resources into trying to reduce poverty, a clear path forward is right in front of us. A $15 wage means more money in the pockets of the very people who are the foundation of the Rochester economy: our workers. When they’re earning more and spending more, our community can thrive.

There’s still time for Assemblyman Morelle to get this right for our city and to stand up in Albany for the hundreds of thousands of hardworking Rochester families that need a $15 hour minimum wage increase as soon as possible.