15 Ways A $15 Minimum Wage Law Could Help Brooklynites
Demonstrators rally for a $15 minimum wage. | Photo by Associated Press /Times Free Press.

$15 minimum wage seems closer than ever for a number of Brooklynites.

The push for a higher minimum wage gained momentum on both sides of the country earlier this year with New York embracing an eventual $15 an hour for the state’s 200,000 fast-food workers and the huge University of California system announcing the same raise for its employees.

While this is a step in the right direction, the NY state Wage Board endorsed the raise in minimum wage only for people who work at fast-food restaurants with 30 or more locations.

“Singling out fast-food restaurants while ignoring other industries that hire workers who are paid under $15 is unfair and discriminatory,” Jack Bert, who owns seven McDonald’s restaurants in New York City, said in a statement.

A number of restaurant owners are now arguing that the raise would force them to raise prices, cut employee hours and limit them to the number of workers they can higher.

Rebecca Cornick, a 60-year-old woman who makes $9 an hour at a Wendy’s in Brooklyn begs to differ. “If I made $15, I could pay my rent on time, I could put food on the table, I could hold my head up.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration, who supports the raise, has the final say. “You cannot live and support a family on $18,000 a year in the state of New York — period,” Cuomo said at a New York City rally celebrating the proposal. “This is just the beginning. We will not stop until we reach true economic justice.” The state minimum wage is now $8.75.

Here are 15 reasons a $15 minimum wage will help Brooklynites dramatically:
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1. Presently at $8.75 (minimum wage in New York) the yearly salary for a 40-hour week is $18,200 and the Federal Poverty Level for a family of 3 is $20,090.

2. As of August 2015, average apartment rent within 10 miles of New York , NY is $3642. One bedroom apartments in New York rent for $3245 a month.

3. It cost $5.50 to get work each day on public transportation and if you technically want to save money on the “not so on-time” MTA, a monthly unlimited MetroCard will cost you $116.50 — $1,398 a year.

4. Would have disposable cash to buy luxury items like fruits and vegetables.

5. TV hasn’t been free in over a decade, another expense to worry about.

6. I mean, what can $1 buy you today anyway?

7. Could on occasion go out to eat, whereby stimulating the economy by making a purchase at a local restaurant.

8. According to City Data in March of 2013 the cost of living index in Brooklyn was 196.0 (very high), US average is 100. For example in Brooklyn, the cost of a loaf of white bread is $2.63, while the cost of bread in Knoxville, Tennessee is $1.62.

9. Remember clothes still have to be purchased as the weather changes at least four times a year in New York.

10. 57% of the Brooklyn population has never been married, is separated, widowed or divorced and we all know two paychecks are better than one.

11. Even with scholarships, financial aid and student loans (that you have to pay back) there’s still a cost for higher education. With higher education comes better job opportunities.

12. While staying healthy in New York should be a priority, healthcare is not “free”. Even on Medicaid/Medicare there’s a cost.

13. According to a study conducted by the New York City Health Department poor education, mental illness and poverty plague more New York kids than those in any other city. Though money can’t buy happiness it can help pay for the much needed mental health service cost.

14. How can one save when living paycheck to paycheck?

15. If it’s challenging to go to a $15 movie, $100 Broadway play, $50 dinner-for-two, $75 theme park pass, what exactly should you do for a cheap first date?