First hour: Should New York have a statewide minimum wage?
Second hour: Local arts roundup — Music, photography, mirrors, and crows!
A new proposed bill in the New York State Legislature calls for a statewide minimum wage. If passed, the Upstate Parity and Minimum Wage Protection Act would establish a statewide minimum wage floor of $17 per hour by the year 2026. Current law sets two separate minimum wages for upstate New York and downstate; as of January 1, minimum wage in New York City and some of its suburbs is $16 per hour, while in the rest of the state, the rate is $15 per hour. Advocates for the proposed legislation say the current law leaves upstate workers behind. Those who oppose the bill say it doesn’t make economic sense. We explore the issue from various perspectives. Our guests:
- Kent Gardner, former chief economist at the Center for Governmental Research
- Tsedeye Gebreselassie, director of work quality at the National Employment Law Project
- Leon Miller-Out, owner of Singlebrook Technology in Ithaca
- Frank Kerbein, director of the Center for Human Resources at The Business Council
Then in our second hour, we preview a variety of art-related events in the area. In this roundup, we connect you to the talented artists behind an upcoming music festival, a student photography exhibit, an “infinity” room full of mirrors, giant crows, and more. Our guests:
- Bonnie Choi, D.M.A., director and founder of the Women in Music Festival, adjunct professor in applied music, and associate professor in professional practice, musical theatre, and piano teacher in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Nazareth University
- Diana Rosenblum, Ph.D., composer and lecturer in music competition at the School of Music at Nazareth University
- Joshua Rashaad McFadden, artists and assistant professor of photography at RIT
- Elizabeth Call, university archivist for the RIT Archives
- Jessica Marten, curator in charge and curator of American art at the Memorial Art Gallery
- Magnus Champlin, Rochester creative
