Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Speaks With NY1's Pat Kiernan at Fight for $15 Rally

November 10, 2015

Pat Kiernan: Fast food workers across the city are striking today. Mayor de Blasio has stopped by one of the protest in Cobble Hill this morning, and he joins us now with more on his view on this. Mr. Mayor, thank you for joining us this morning. Why did you choose to get involved in this particular issue this morning?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well – because working people in this city deserve a decent wage. $15 dollars minimum an hour is what we need so people can live in this city. We’ve devoted this administration to fighting income inequality; to making sure that New Yorkers can actually live in their own city. One of the most fundamental things that we need is decent wages. $15 dollars should be a minimum in this city, so people can get by.

Pat Kiernan: Mayor de Blasio I appreciate you being focused on the interview with all that’s going on with the rally behind you. Why the focus on fast food? Why that sector of business in particular?

Mayor: You know, I think it started in fast food because it is an incredibly profitable industry – billions and billions of dollars a year – that was underpaying its workers. I think that became the focal point; how an industry that had so much money, do so little for working people. And fast food workers led the charge, but now the $15 dollar minimum wage movement has spread across the country. We need the $15 dollar minimum wage in this city, and in this state, and ultimately we need it to be federal legislation as well.

Pat Kiernan: Mayor de Blasio, put this into the context of your overall efforts on income inequality. There are always two sides to these stories; whether it’s the fast food businesses saying we can’t afford to pay this much; whether it’s real estate developers saying that your affordable housing restrictions are too tough. Where does this come down in terms of your administration, and trying to find that balance between business and the needs of low income New Yorkers?

Mayor: You know, for decades every time there’s been discussion of raising the minimum wage you’ve heard business folks say it’s going to lead to Armageddon – people will be laid off, things won’t work. We find the exact opposite – it happens over and over again, you raise the minimum wage, what it actually does is it puts more money in people’s pockets, and they spend it in their local economy. That actually, ultimately, increases employment. So, we find that unless you have a healthy middle class; unless you have people who can spend money in their local economy, actually everyone loses. The increase in the minimum wage makes good economic sense. And what we’re trying to do with affordable housing too – we’re saying if you don’t have a city that people can live in; if working people and middle class people can’t live in New York City it’s not New York City anymore. So, I’ve heard plenty of developers complain, but they still make a very good profit even with the requirements we put on them.

Pat Kiernan: Mayor Bill de Blasio at the scene of that fast food minimum wage rally. Thank you, mayor.