As the State University of New York warms up to a higher minimum wage, the City University of New York has been left out in the cold.

Slated to begin in February, the Mario Cuomo Campaign for Economic Justice will gradually raise the wages of New York state employees up to the target $15 per hour by 2021. The program is one of the first steps in a lobbying initiative headed by the Gov. Andrew Cuomo to make New York state the first with a minimum wage of $15 across the board.

However, Cuomo has excluded an important player from this program: though separate from the SUNY system, CUNY is an equally important pillar of public education that is being ignored. CUNY is already facing an uncertain future due to budgeting concerns and the state has once again passed them over for any sort of positive action. So, while the rest of the state forges ahead with the governor, one of the institutions that needs Cuomo most is being left in the dust to fend for itself.

Donald Dutkowsky, an economics professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, was “sympathetic to the idea” of Cuomo’s plan to raise the minimum wage and supported the decision. In regards to CUNY, he urged that things be taken “one step at a time,” and that it is important we remember that this is an experiment in economics.

CUNY’s faculty and staff union leader Barbara Bowen was less patient and called Cuomo’s decision “… a slap in the face” in a statement earlier this month. She is not alone in her struggle to ease CUNY’s strife as notable politicians, including presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, have recently weighed in on the issue and urged Cuomo to respond.

Indeed, this is not the first slight for the CUNY community, which has been working without contract since 2010 and has not been provided staff or faculty salary increases in the same time, according to The New York Times. Over winter break, a budget increase for the SUNY and CUNY programs that would have covered cost increases related to the institutions’ collective bargaining, rent or utilities was vetoed by the governor.

As Cuomo puts one foot forward with the wage increases for SUNY, he simultaneously takes one step back with his mistreatment of CUNY. In his executive actions, Cuomo is trying to demonstrate that New Yorkers are united in their desire for a higher minimum wage. Yet with his exclusion of CUNY, we see that his boast of unity begins to look more like a facade.

The raise in wages is projected to bring an estimated $15.7 billion in consumer spending to the state over the next few years, according to the SUNY press release. The release also notes that a $15 minimum will return wages to what they would have been in 1970, adjusted for inflation.

The minimum wage is meant to keep the person earning it above the poverty line. The fact that the United States has a minimum wage shows that we are making an effort to insure fairness and equality among American workers. When certain areas or groups, including CUNY, are skipped over, their exclusion puts the whole gesture into question.

CUNY gives 275,000 students, many of whom are minorities, a chance at an education. Yet, the governor’s office is actively refusing to ensure the prosperity of the institution that gives many people hope for a better future.

Indeed CUNY could raise the minimum wage on its own, but the institution could run into serious problems due to a lack of funding. Unable to rectify a $51 million deficit, CUNY has been leaning more and more in the past year on the state government, which finances around 45 percent of the university’s budget.

These mounting problems mean the college simply cannot hope to remain competitive with other universities when it is forced to keep its wages low due to a lack of funding. Skilled professionals and other staff will most likely seek out other institutions which can afford to pay them higher wages. Put more simply, if CUNY were to raise their wages they would either need more funding from the city or state budgets or raise tuition, ultimately undermining their appeal of quality, low-cost education.

Cuomo deserves praise for the steps he’s taken to increase the minimum wage for all New York workers, but in this commendation, we must remember that all is not equal. Helping CUNY to achieve a fair minimum wage is directly proportional to their ability to succeed as a university. And when education succeeds, business and innovation are sure to follow.

Theo Horn is a sophomore political science and public policy dual major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at tahorn@syr.edu.

Published on January 21, 2016 at 2:08 am