Rep. Ritchie Torres to Gov. Hochul: Pay Nonprofit Human Services Workers A Living Wage

Today, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) wrote to New York Governor Kathy Hochul in advance of the upcoming state budget deadline. The letter reads (full PDF here, and video message here):

“I am writing to call upon you to grant nonprofit human services workers the just pay that has eluded far too many for far too long in the State of New York. The success of New York is measured by whether it is working for working people. When it comes to nonprofit human services, Albany is catastrophically failing the working people of New York. The average salary of a nonprofit human services worker is a meager $36,588 a year, which amounts to $20 a day. An income of $20 a day is not a living wage. It is a death wage for the working class.

“The human services sector experiences a tale of two New Yorks. If you are a human services worker employed by the State of New York, then you are legally entitled to a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA). But if you are a human services worker that happens to contract with the State of New York, then you are unjustly deprived of a COLA. It is common for corporations to classify employees as contractors in order to avoid paying them more. It is tragic to see a self-proclaimed progressive government engage in the same exploitation of working people. If the City of New York can grant nonprofit human services workers fairer pay, as it did in FY2025, then the State of New York, which has far more resources, can easily do the same. At a time when the State of New York is expanding the budget by $15 billion, from $237 billion to $252 billion, there is simply no excuse for stiffing essential workers who, at great cost to their own mental health, keep braving the frontlines of caring for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

“As Governor, you have announced with great fanfare an inflation refund for the working people of New York. A living wage that keeps up with the cost of living (at least an increase of 7.8%) is the ultimate form of inflation refund for New York’s human services workforce. Anything less than true affordability fails to meet the moment.”