Yeldell is among the millions of fast food workers across the U.S. scraping to get by. About two-thirds of them are women, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and many are supporting their families on minimum wages set at the federal government's floor of $7.25 an hour.

The Costco Teamsters National Master Agreement, which expires on Jan. 31, covers more than 18,000 workers nationwide.

Long Island, which once received 23% of DOT capital funding, now gets less than 10%. That dramatic cut has taken a toll, leaving our region’s infrastructure strained and in desperate need of repair.