Union raps Cuomo for excluding CUNY workers from raise

By CONOR SKELDING 4:24 p.m. | Jan. 4, 2016

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The head of CUNY's faculty and staff union criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday for excluding the city's university system from his decision to raise the minimum wage in the SUNY system to $15 an hour.

“Lifting the wage floor for fast-food workers, state employees and now SUNY workers is the right thing to do," Bowen said in a statement. "Governor Cuomo listened to the growing demand from workers, students, labor unions, faith leaders and others. But singling out CUNY’s workers on the state payroll for exclusion is a monumental failure of progressive leadership."

“The decision to exclude CUNY from the wage increase is a slap in the face,” she said.

Cuomo announced the executive action, which will affect about 28,000 employees, at a Monday rally in New York City. The cost of the raises will be absorbed in SUNY's budget, the governor's office said.

Last month, the governor vetoed a budget bill which would have provided more funding for CUNY and SUNY.

Cuomo's release accompanying the rally said that the SUNY raise was part of "a push to make New York the first state in the nation to enact a $15 minimum wage for all workers."

It is unclear whether that includes CUNY staff, many of whom, particularly at the senior colleges, are techically state employees.

In an email, Cuomo spokeswoman Dani Lever said, “The SUNY board agreed to raise the minimum wage for their employees, and if CUNY wants to do the same, we would be happy to work with them on a plan."

CUNY chancellor James B. Milliken said the university "supports Governor Cuomo's initiative on increasing the minimum wage for public employees. We look forward to working with the administration and the Board of Trustees to ensure that CUNY's employees receive a fair minimum wage."