Statement: Small Business Can’t Afford Charlie Crist
Small business owners disagree with Crist on job-killing minimum wage hike
October 22, 2014 – The following is a statement from NFIB/Executive Director Bill Herrle regarding last night’s Florida Gubernatorial Debate. For more commentary on how small business owners feel regarding minimum wage and the gubernatorial candidates, contact NFIB/Florida at 850-681-0416, or [email protected].
Last night’s debate proves that Charlie Crist is more out-of-touch with small business owners than ever before. His short-sighted policy positions are small business killers. When he blatantly stated that he doesn’t care about the 50,000 people who will lose their jobs when minimum wage is raised, it was crystal clear that he does not care about job creation, Florida’s economy, and most importantly, the backbone of both job creation and Florida’s economy – small business.
Small business owners are overwhelmingly opposed to raising minimum wage. In an NFIB/Florida survey of our small business owner-members in Florida:
–88.6 percent oppose raising Florida’s minimum wage to 10.10/hour
–61.4 percent would reconsider plans to hire workers if minimum wage were raised to $10.10/hour
–49.2 percent would consider laying off workers if minimum wage were raised to $10.10/hour
The trickle down impact of a 27 percent increase in labor costs would be massive. We heard from many small business owners through the survey who stated they would be forced to increase their own prices, taking them out of competition with larger competitors. Many said they would have to learn how to function with fewer employees, and many would have to take on more of the work themselves rather than hiring additional employees. Many would be forced to reduce their workforces immediately.
Charlie Crist doesn’t care about Florida’s small business owners or their employees. He didn’t work for Florida last time he was Governor, and it sounds like he plans to make things even worse if he’s elected in November.
###
