FPWA Responds to Mayor de Blasio’s Executive Budget

Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA), released the following statement on April 26 in response to Mayor de Blasio’s Executive Budget:

“We are thrilled with the Mayor’s commitment to raise the wages of some 50,000 workers across New York City by funding a path to a $15 per hour minimum wage for city workers and city-contracted nonprofit workers by 2018. This pay increase demonstrates the Mayor’s commitment to reducing income inequality for human services workers who provide vital services and programs to vulnerable New Yorkers and yet are vulnerable themselves.

While we commend the Mayor, we appreciate that there still are many service providers whose work merits a pay increase. Early childhood educators who provide quality early education in safe, community-based organizations under contract with the city continue to be paid significantly less by New York City for the same work performed by teachers in NYC Department of Education classrooms. We urge the Mayor to invest in salary parity across the early childhood system.

We also commend the Mayor for providing an additional $5.6 million to increase funding for Beacon programs that serve thousands of youth and adults citywide. However, we continue to urge the Administration to fund much needed summer afterschool programs. Like the Beacon programs, summer afterschool programs are vital to working families across the City. They play a key role in reducing poverty and they offer a safe space for many New York City children during the out-of-school summer months. Summer programming must be a priority in any agenda seeking to promote equal opportunity.”

The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) is an anti-poverty, policy and advocacy nonprofit with a membership network of nearly 200 human services and faith-based organizations. Each year, through its network of member agencies, FPWA reaches close to 1.5 million New Yorkers of all ages, ethnicities, and denominations. FPWA strives to build a city of equal opportunity that reduces poverty, promotes upward mobility, and creates shared prosperity for all New Yorkers. 

 Log on to www.fpwa.org for additional information on the organization. 

Source: Mercury