Aides for disabled people on Long Island rally to tell Gov. Hochul: Give us a raise

Several hundred people gathered for a rally inside the state office building in Hauppauge on Friday to demand Gov. Kathy Hochul adjust her proposed budget to give better pay to aides who assist people with disabilities.

Some of the people with disabilities arrived in wheelchairs as politicians, parents and others addressed the crowd and pressed the governor to raise wages for Direct Support Professionals. The workers assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their homes, group homes and other locations with everything from brushing their teeth to taking their medicine to getting exercise.

Hochul has proposed a 2.1% increase, but rally leaders said they were seeking a 7.8% increase, in part to keep up with inflation and to make up for past years of little or no raises. The state sets the rate at which the workers are paid. Much of the funding — or reimbursement — to the workers comes from Medicaid or the state Department of Education, rally organizers said.

"A 2.1% increase in funding is not adequate. It’s an insult, honestly," state Assemb. Jodi Giglio (R-C, Riverhead) told the crowd. "It does not even come close to addressing the financial realities we face to keep up with inflation and to provide the care and dignity our community deserves."

A spokesperson for Hochul said in a statement Friday evening: "Governor Hochul has done more to fill the critical gaps in this workforce than any administration in New York's history. This year the Governor announced a historic $850 million to providers licensed by the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities to strengthen this vital workforce and support New York's hardworking direct care professionals."

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, referring to T-shirts worn by some in the crowd, said, "The T-shirt says it all — Invest in Me."

"Governor, we’re not asking for an increase. We’re asking for a cost of living without which we will suffer a decrease," he said.

The crowd included dozens people with disabilities. One of them, Aliza Butruch, 28, lives in a group home in East Patchogue, where the workers help with her medicine, showering and other needs, she said.

In an interview, Butruch said she hopes Hochul grants the 7.8% increase because many workers left due to low wages.

"When they leave it gets me really depressed and sad, and I want them to have more money so they won’t have to leave," Butruch said. Rally organizers said some aides work two or three jobs to pay their bills.

Gail Gottlieb, of Hauppauge, said her 47-year-old son with a disability has lived in a nonprofit group home since he was 20 — and has thrived. He is a cartoon artist and an actor who has performed in front of 500 people, she said. The aides help make it all possible, she added.

"To be taking anything away from them is pretty much criminal," she said, adding she supports the pay raise.

 A survey of Direct Support Professional jobs with Long Island nonprofits on the website Indeed.com on Friday showed multiple openings paying from $17 to $20 per hour. As of Jan. 1, the minimum wage on Long Island is $16.50 per hour. This is the same minimum wage as in New York City and Westchester County.