Queens Community House Joins NYC Nonprofits Outside City Hall to Demand Fair Pay for Nonprofit Workers

NEW YORK (May 2022) – On May 25, over 100 nonprofit workers from Queens Community House (QCH), one of the borough’s largest social service organizations, rallied outside of City Hall with New York City nonprofit organizations to call for an end to government-sanctioned poverty wages for human service workers. Nonprofit workers, elected officials, and supporters gathered for the campaign’s second in-person rally.
 
Speakers at the rally included Councilmember Nantasha Williams, Councilmember Erik Bottcher, Councilmember Tiffany Caban, Councilmember Julie Menin, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation Executive Director Maria Lizardo, QCH Beacon Program Director Marlena Starace, and several other supporters of the campaign.
 
During Starace’s time at the podium, Starace focused on the importance of acknowledging human service workers as essential workers who are dedicated to helping individuals and families in New York City. “We are losing reliable and passionate agents of change due to the rising cost of living in New York City,” said Starace. “Fair pay would be an important step toward recovering from economic hardship and keeping essential workers in the City.”
 
The first rally came in March also outside City Hall, where QCH workers joined over 1,500 supporters of the campaign. The increase in supporters and momentum for the campaign comes at a crucial time for many nonprofit workers who are struggling financially.
 
“Queens Community House has always supported fair and consistent pay increases for our workforce, and now, with rise in prices for rent, food, gas, and everything else, our workers need these pay increases in order to be able to make ends meet in New York City,” said QCH Executive Director Ben Thomases. “We need to take care of the people who take care of New York, and that’s why the Just Pay campaign is so important to us.”
 
"As a Family Support Coordinator, I have seen the suffering of community members who need us," said QCH Family Support Coordinator Joelle Tirado. "We are essential and should be paid accordingly."
 
“We need to make sure our workers have enough money to live,” said Councilmember Williams.

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Queens Community House (QCH) is a multi-service settlement house committed to serving the diverse neighborhoods of Queens. QCH serves more than 25,000 children, youth, adults, and older adults every year. Our mission is to provide individuals and families with the tools to enrich their lives and build healthy, inclusive communities. Through a broad network of programs operating out of 34 sites in 14 neighborhoods, we offer Queens residents a needed support system at every stage of life, helping them to develop the knowledge, confidence, and skills to change their lives for the better and become active participants in their larger community.

 
 
CONTACT: 
Thomas Cruz 
Director of Communications 
Queens Community House 
tcruz@qchnyc.org