Below is the statement, as prepared for delivery, that Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), UFCW, will make at the living wage veto override press conference at City Hall at 11 a.m.

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Good morning. I’m Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), UFCW.

It’s great to be here, with so many friends and allies, including Councilman Oliver Koppell and other members of the City Council.

We’ve come a long way together.

We have stuck together, fought together, and we have won together - despite the powerful challenges we have faced.

We have built a citywide movement, a powerful people’s movement, in which countless New Yorkers have said no to poverty-wage jobs and yes to living wage jobs.

We should all be incredibly proud of that. And I know that I’m personally so proud that my union, the RWDSU, has played a leading role in this fight from day one.

We stand together today to deliver a message to Mayor Bloomberg:

The will of the people will not be denied! Get ready for a veto override!

We stand together to claim an important victory for democracy.

By overriding Mayor Bloomberg’s veto, the City Council is siding with the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers who want this legislation to move forward.

We stand together with the City Council in saying:

The Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act will be implemented!

New Yorkers have made their voices heard: they want government to invest in more living wage jobs. There is broad and diverse agreement that investing in a higher-wage economy is good for business, good for working people, and good for our economy.

The living wage movement, the RWDSU, New Yorkers across the city – all of us - are committed to ensuring that working people no longer live in poverty. That’s our shared vision for the future, and this legislation can help us make it a reality.

Thank you!