Senator Weber Op-Ed: We need to fix a problem.

We need to fix a problem.

 

Budgets are about priorities, and for years, New York has not prioritized the salaries of workers who provide direct care support to individuals with developmental disabilities.

 

According to The Arc New York, the largest organization serving people with developmental disabilities, 85 percent of the people who need these services receive them from non-profit agencies. While their counterparts at the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities receive wages reflective of their crucial role, the employees of these non-profits do not.

 

How can we justify this disparity between workers employed by the state and those employed by non-profits who do the same job?

 

That’s why I co-sponsored and voted for S4127A as the Ranking Member of the Senate Disabilities Committee. S4127A “Establishes a direct support wage enhancement to employees that provide direct care support or any other form of treatment, to individuals with developmental disabilities and whose income is less than $125,000.” Its companion bill in the New York State Assembly is A5268A.

 

Our committee unanimously voted on January 29th to pass this legislation to the Senate Finance Committee. We strongly believe this should be included in this year’s budget.

 

We all know it is too expensive to live in New York, and New York spends too much money on nonessential projects and services. These are essential employees who provide essential services.

 

Paying these essential employees at a level only slightly above minimum wage is not acceptable. It has created a staffing shortage that is negatively affecting our disabled community. The support from these committed professionals is vital to their success, but many are forced to leave the job they love to earn more money.

 

This bipartisan legislation gives these valuable professional caregivers a $4,000 pay raise. It will help ensure those needing their assistance receive it and will help the non-profit agencies doing this work recruit new employees to help solve the staffing shortage.

 

The choice could not be clearer for me, and I want you to help us fix this problem. How?

 

Call or email your senators and assembly members, ask them to co-sponsor this legislation if they haven’t already, and encourage them to tell their leadership and the governor to support this. Call and email the members of the Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and ask them to pass this legislation. Follow that up with calls and emails to the New York State Legislature leaders and Governor Hochul, asking them to include this in the final budget.

 

Let’s speak loudly, with one voice, on behalf of our fellow New Yorkers with disabilities to make this a priority this year. Working together, we can ensure that our disabled community has the support they need and the professional caregivers who provide that support receive wages reflective of their work.

 

Let’s fix the problem.