06/01/2005
CONTACT: Gregg Thompson, (919) 844-6342 or Jim Brown, (615) 874-5288
NORTH CAROLINA -- The following statement was released from Gregg Thompson, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, North Carolina's largest small-business advocacy group representing 15,000 members. Earlier today, the House Commerce Committee defeated HB 330, which would have established a "living wage," or minimum wage, in North Carolina by an 18-17 vote.
"NFIB members across North Carolina are very thankful to the members of the House Commerce Committee who displayed courage in defeating HB 330 today. The 'living wage' term sounds like a well-intended pursuit, but it is dreadful public policy because it's a proven job destroyer.
"Recent concrete evidence from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that municipalities experience an average 1.7 percent rise in unemployment two to three years removed from living wage implementation. If today's bill had eventually passed, the living wage would have resulted in nearly 70,000 pink slips being delivered to workers across North Carolina – and as many as 135,000 lost jobs in a worst-case scenario.
"The living wage is a bad idea for North Carolina's future, and small-business owners across North Carolina are thankful our leaders in Raleigh today preserved thousands of jobs."
