SUFFERN – More than 3,000 cheered as politicians pledged support for workers who care for New York’s most vulnerable and protections for people with disabilities at the annual “Rally in the Valley.”
The annual advocacy event coordinated by Jawonio in Rockland County took place Friday, March 13 at Rockland Community College’s Fieldhouse. Self-advocates, families and care providers spoke about their concerns as costs of living soar yet state-set wages stay stagnant for Direct Support Professionals, known as DSPs, and as federal immigration policies threaten an already short-handed workforce.
College President William Mullaney set the tone when he told the cheering crowd that “disability rights are human rights.”
New York Senate, Assembly pledge boost for DSP pay
The state sets the reimbursement rate for DSPs who work for nonprofit agencies that provide lifespan services. DSPs are often paid below what easier entry-level jobs offer. DSPs offer whatever kind of supports people need, from help dressing and toileting, to dispensing medications to helping people learn new skills.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2027 fiscal budget proposal increases DSP reimbursements by 1.7%. Agencies and advocates were pushing for at least a 2.7% increase.
State Sen. Shelley Mayer, D-Yonkers, said the so-called one-house budget plans in the Senate and Assembly have put in a 4% wage increase.
“We are going to fight to get what you deserve,” she told a cheering crowd, saying “people should not have to work two or three jobs” to afford to feed their families and have a roof over their head.
State Sen. Pete Harckham, D-South Salem, and state Sen. Bill Weber, R-Montebello, spoke up for a 4% increase for DSPs, each underscoring that support is bipartisan. Harckham made clear that he would let fellow Democrat Hochul know: “4%, nothing less.”
Lawler calls to keep TPS for Haiti
U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-Pearl River, pledged support for Medicaid and other health programs that aid people with disabilities, and support for a largely immigrant workforce that provide vital supports.
Lawler recalled his last appearance at Rally in the Valley, which was held outside at Clover Stadium in Pomona and was chilly in more ways than one.
The congressman was booed at the 2025 Rally in the Valley days after he voted for a budget resolution that that critics, as well as the Congressional Budget Office, said would slash Medicaid. Lawler had insisted the fix could come from cracking down on “waste, fraud and abuse,” but the crowd loudly rejected that concept.
“At last year’s rally, all of you were heard loud and clear,” said Lawler, whose 17th District includes all of Rockland and Putnam counties and parts of Westchester and Dutchess. He said he wants to “make sure Medicaid runs the way it should.”
Lawler also pledged to address two other federal issues that threaten the DSP workforce, a field primarily staffed by women of color and immigrants.
He announced plans to introduce a waiver for a new $100,000 fee for H-1B workers visas, which agencies use to hire certain healthcare staff.
Lawler also re-upped his support for extending Temporary Protected Status for people from Haiti. “We know how essential our Haitian workers are,” Lawler said.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: People with disabilities demand fair pay for NY support workers
Reporting by Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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