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Late last year, representatives from RMAPI came to University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf and her leadership team with a request to raise starting wages for all home health aides to $15 per hour. Our research has shown that these employees are disproportionately affected by poverty, and we asked for a commitment to moving them closer to a living wage.
The university’s leadership team wanted to make an even stronger commitment to RMAPI’s goal to improve the quality of life for Rochester residents by reducing poverty and increasing self-sufficiency, and today announced a major step—setting its minimum wage at $15 per hour by December 2022. We applaud this decision and the effects it will have across our community.
In her announcement, President Mangelsdorf acknowledged that this step was a commitment both to their employees and to RMAPI’s common agenda.
“This is an acknowledgement of our obligation, not only as the largest employer and safety-net provider in the region, but also as a mission-driven institution committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion,” President Mangelsdorf said. “Structural racism—exacerbated by the pandemic—is disproportionately impacting our most vulnerable in our community. We have a moral responsibility to our lowest wage employees—many of whom have performed essential duties during the COVID pandemic—and the greater Rochester community to take this important step.”
Low wages are the single leading cause of poverty in America, and the report on wage disparities from the City of Rochester and RMAPI has shown that the wage gap disproportionately impacts our Black and Brown neighbors. The University of Rochester’s commitment will be a significant step toward our poverty-reduction goals, and serve as an example to the rest of the community that raising wages is not only fiscally responsible, it is morally imperative.
We encourage you to share their announcement and join us in applauding this significant development. |
