‘Living wage’ in Albany’s sights

Councilwoman offers bill to pay full-time city workers at least $15.50 an hour

The city is moving forward with its promise to ensure every one of its full-time employees makes at least $15.50 per hour.

Councilwoman Ginnie Farrell introduced a law Monday evening that would require the city to pay that “living wage” to all full-time employees after Mayor Kathy Sheehan introduced the idea last October.

“I’ve been pushing this really hard since February and now I’m at the point I just want this to happen,” she said during Monday’s Common Council meeting.

Albany County passed legislation earlier this year to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour for roughly 60 employees.

There are only 16 employees in the

city currently making less than $15.50 an hour. The city has not been able to raise their pay to $15.50 because they are part of the blue-collar union, which is in the midst of contract negotiations.

Most of those affected by the proposal work as laborers in the city’s Department of General Services. It also includes some Water Department and Recreation Department employees.

Farrell noted that in some cases, full-time employees who make less than $15.50 an hour are working with and training temporary employees who are paid that rate. The city did try to sign a memorandum of understanding with the bargaining unit that would raise the floor for those employees but could not come to terms with the union. Those delays spurred her to introduce the bill, Farrell said.

“I think right is right. We have to make sure the lowest-paid people are paid a living wage,” she said. “This isn’t a big budget hit, this is just something we should do.”

The bill would not be retroactive.

Sheehan introduced the idea in her 2021 budget proposal last October, saying it calculated a living wage in the city as $15.52 per hour. A $15.50 hourly rate works out to $32,240 per year on a 40-hour work week. Sheehan’s office declined to comment on the proposed law, citing ongoing labor negotiations.

The local law is expected to come up for a vote at Common Council’s Sept. 9 meeting.