Among those drumming up support for a $15 minimum wage are Gregory Floyd, in back second from the left, Congressman Charlie Rangel, NYS Senator Adriano Espaillat, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, George Gresham, President of 1199 SEIU, speaking, and Governor Cuomo.

Guess which state has the largest number of unionized workers? If your answer is New York, you’re correct. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released its findings: While the national average of union workers is 11.1%, in New York, 24.7% of our workforce is unionized, which actually represents a 1% increase from previous
totals.

And there’s more good news: In New York, 71.7% of public sector workers are members of unions, despite the fact  that, nationally, government unions are on the decline, having lost 118,000 members over the past years, according to a recent survey by the CUNY Graduate Center.

Governor Cuomo addresses the crowd at the outdoor rally.

Wayne Spence, President of the Public Employees Federation, and Gregory Floyd, President of Local 237, in an RV enroute to the Bronx $15 minimum wage rally.

Although the reasons for such strong union participation in New York State can be the subject of debate, what is undeniable is that New York has become a leader in setting high standards in the workplace. Those standards are what labor leaders fight for, and why workers join unions.

There are, however, two areas that need to be addressed to help ensure that if you work all day, you should not have to struggle to put food on the table at night, and that if a family member is sick, or if you’re welcoming home a newborn, you don’t jeopardize your job by taking time to care for them.

The $15 Minimum Wage and Paid Family Leave Acts proposed by Governor Cuomo, now before the New York State Legislature, would mean that millions of workers in our state will have added guarantees of both a decent wage and time to deal with family health matters.

Recently, in an effort to rally support, the Governor took his push for a $15 minimum wage on the road. Teamsters Local 237 President Gregory Floyd joined Governor Cuomo on a “Fight For Worker Fairness” bus tour throughout New York City and Long Island. As President Floyd noted: “I was very pleased to join Governor Cuomo, other elected officials and labor leaders for the kick-off of a statewide campaign to drum up support for the passage of the Governor’s proposal for a $15 minimum wage. We rallied to send a strong message to our state legislators: ‘Dignity in the workplace begins with a decent wage. Working men and women should not have to struggle to make ends meet — often having to work several jobs — to provide for and protect their families.’”

To kick-off his push for the passage of Paid Family Leave, the Governor took another approach: He invited Vice President Joe Biden to a huge rally in hopes of gaining support. In introducing the Vice President, Cuomo said in an emotional, personal way that he regretted not taking off to spend more time with his ailing father before he died, noting: “I could have easily taken the time, and didn’t. Sadly, there are many workers in New York who don’t have that option. If they took off, there might not be a job to return to.” The Governor went on to say: “At the end of the day, family matters, intimate relationships matter. And, in this 24/7 world, let this state make a statement about what really matters.”

Clearly, the Governor’s message is that we have to stop thinking of family leave time as only a personal matter, largely left to women, but that it is also a societal responsibility to be shared, and exists for the benefit of men and women, employers and employees, young adults and older adults.

In New York, we are working to meet that responsibility. While the details of the Governor’s proposal are still being worked on, New York State Paid Family Leave will join New York City’s sick leave laws, which provide municipal workers with six weeks of paid leave, and private sector workers with up to five days of employer-paid sick leave in businesses where there are five or more employees.

The passage of state legislation will have nationwide impact because New York has always been viewed as a national leader in many areas —including union membership and having laws to protect gay rights and women’s rights — prompting other states to follow.

In this presidential election season, the question asked by so many political pundits and talked about by so many of the candidates is: “What kind of people are we?” and “What kind of country do we want for our children?” The answer, demonstrated here in New York, is that we’re a nation where compassionate care is in our hearts and in our laws.

With the rally about to get underway, members of Local 237 joined to lend their support to paid family leave.

Vice President Joe Biden tells the audience that “Paid family leave is the right thing to do.”