Nicole Riley, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, Virginia’s leading small-business association, released the following statement today in response to today’s committee vote against Senate Bill 681, which called for raising the state minimum wage:
“It’s gratifying to see that legislators have gotten the message that Virginia’s small businesses can’t afford for state government to decide how much employers should pay their employees.
“Businesses, especially small businesses, have only so much money. If the government raises the cost of labor, then employers can’t hire as many workers. It’s that simple.
“The minimum wage is for workers with few skills and little to no experience. If the cost of labor goes up, employers are going to hire older, more experienced workers. They’re not going to hire young people just entering the workforce or those without skills or experience.
“We’re hopeful that the General Assembly will continue to vote against legislation that discourages small businesses from growing and creating jobs.”
NFIB/Virginia is the commonwealth’s leading small-business association with over 5,000 dues-paying members representing a cross section of the state’s economy.
