(Long Island, NY) At a press conference today Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo (R,C-New Suffolk) advocated for jobs and small businesses. Several small-business owners were on hand to express concern over being forced to cut jobs if the state minimum wage is increased to $15 per hour.
“At the end of the day, this is about fighting for jobs, supporting our local small businesses and continuing to boost our economy,” said Palumbo. “No one is against New Yorkers making a fair wage, we are concerned with ensuring that our hardworking residents keep their jobs and small business can continue to create jobs.”
The governor’s $15 minimum wage proposal has drawn concern from state legislators because of the potential negative side effects that are not being discussed while he tours around New York. Local “mom-and-pops” and not-for-profit organizations cannot afford this wage hike and will be forced to cut jobs which will force families to pay for their own healthcare or face steep fines. Members of the Assembly Republican Conference are concerned with protecting jobs and encouraging the growth of small businesses to move the economy forward. Assemblyman Palumbo is also a strong supporter of investing in education and workforce development initiatives to help inexperienced workers gain the skills necessary to be successful and help the working poor climb up out of poverty.
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R,C-Canandaigua) said, “If we really want to help low-income New Yorkers, we need alternatives that do not decimate job creators and send businesses to other states. It defies logic to impose another crushing mandate on small businesses, non-profits, school districts and health care providers already struggling to stay afloat in an abysmal tax and economic climate. A drastic and unwarranted minimum wage hike will do more harm than good to low-income earners, who may find themselves out of a job.”
“My district has a large number of seasonal employees,” said Palumbo. “As such, mandating a 66 percent increase in payroll costs will strangle our local businesses. I fear the consequences will have a negative impact on the economy. As we have seen in cities like Seattle, the minimum wage hike has resulted in 10,000 jobs being lost in three months and their rate of pay is only at $13 per hour now. I am afraid our small businesses may enter survival mode by laying off employees, failing to hire new ones or eliminating positions completely. In some cases, they will have to close up shop altogether.”
Also in attendance at the press conference were representatives from the Business Council of New York State, the National Federation of Independent Business and the New York Farm Bureau. These organizations also expressed their concern over the negative economic implications of the proposed minimum wage hike.
