On Friday, Mayor Eric Adams made the historic announcement that the city had reached an agreement with District Council 37, the city’s largest public employee union, to raise pay and benefits.
The minimum wage has been raised to $18 per hour as part of the deal, which is higher than the state minimum wage of $14.20 per hour.
Employees will also receive pay increases on an annual basis. According to Adams, the city owes it to the people who work in the union, including the operators of the 911 system, social assistance workers, food service workers, and others.
Because COVID-19 came out of nowhere and surprised the community, a significant amount of the budget is being allocated to pandemic preparedness.
Read more: A Man from New Jersey Journeys Across the Country to Raise Funds for Homeless Veterans.
Another chunk of the budget is going on recruitment and retention with the intention of increasing the number of employees as well as keeping the ones we have.
