CWA 1180 - Political Action

Two sweet victories after many years of work
January 2005

Minimum wage increase

On January 1, the minimum wage in New York State was increased to $6 an hour, the first increase in five years and the first time the state has had a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage. Under legislation passed in December over Governor Pataki's veto, two further increases will bring the minimum wage to $7.15 an hour over the next two years. This is a modest yet concrete victory, which will benefit over a million low-wage workers and their families, and it is the result of six years of political organizing, led by the Working Families Party. It took a lot of work; literally thousands of people worked on it, and hundreds of organizations joined in the effort, including Local 1180 and 1180 members.

First reform of Rockefeller drug laws

In a milestone for the "Drop the Rock" movement to reform New York State's draconian drug laws, the state legislature moved in December to ease some of the Rockefeller drug laws. Advocates of reform have worked for 10 years to change the law, and although the changes were minor and did not address the underlying problem, they reflected the growing power of reform forces. Under the Rockefeller laws, first-time low-level offenders were sentenced to 15 years to life under mandatory sentencing laws. Nationwide, there has been increasing recognition that this kind of approach to drug policy is insane: it deprives people of drug treatment, it fills the jails with non-violent addicts who are a threat to no one, and it costs billions of dollars that could be spent on schools and healthcare and other urgent needs. The first-time offender sentences in New York State have now been reduced to eight to 20 years. The push for reform gained momentum with the election of David Soares as the Albany district attorney. Backed by the Working Families Party, Soares took a strong stand in favor of reform. .

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