OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (May 21, 2026) – In a new op-ed for The Oklahoman, small business owner and NFIB member Tammy Nickerson describes how if State Question 832 passes, it would force her and other small business owners to make painful choices: raise their prices, cut employee hours, or eliminate jobs.

Nickerson writes:

“To afford all this, we’ll have to raise our prices across the board. That will put a lot of our customers in a tough spot. Even our most loyal customers will ask if they can really afford such pricey plumbing services. We’ll probably lose a good chunk of our business, as customers flee to cheaper competitors.

“As a result, we may have to downsize our team, since we’ll have less money coming in the door. Or we may have to cut our employees’ hours. They’d still be making a higher hourly rate, but since they wouldn’t work as much, they may have lower incomes overall.“

CLICK HERE to read the full op-ed. Excerpts are below.

If You Care About Affordability, Oppose State Question 832

The Oklahoman

By: Tammy Nickerson

May 20, 2026

Everyone’s worried about affordability right now. I hear it at the dinner table when my husband and I talk about our family finances. […]

I wish there was an easy way to make life affordable again. […] But if Oklahomans vote to massively raise the minimum wage on June 16th, they’ll actually push affordability even further out of reach.

I say this as a small business owner who knows what a minimum wage hike would mean in practice. The ballot initiative would raise the wage, which is currently $7.25 an hour, to $15 over the next few years. While that sounds nice in theory, in reality, it will make everything more expensive. When wages are artificially raised by government mandate, businesses have to raise their prices to compensate. […]

We currently start our pay scale at $13 an hour—nearly double the current minimum wage. Within three years, our team members make $19. It’s a solid middle-class wage and we’re glad to be able to pay so well.

But if the minimum wage hike passes in June, things will change—and not for the better. To keep our competitive advantage and team members happy, we’ll have to keep paying well above the minimum wage. […] Our long-time employees will expect to make between $35 and $40 an hour. That’s not as great as it sounds.

To afford all this, we’ll have to raise our prices across the board. […] We’ll probably lose a good chunk of our business, as customers flee to cheaper competitors.

As a result, we may have to downsize our team, since we’ll have less money coming in the door. Or we may have to cut our employees’ hours. They’d still be making a higher hourly rate, but since they wouldn’t work as much, they may have lower incomes overall.

Our other option is to avoid big wage hikes. We’d start paying at the new minimum wage rate. But that would make it harder for us to hire the best team members. It would also prevent us from distinguishing ourselves in a crowded market. In all likelihood, the business would start to struggle, with the threat of closure looming over our heads.

Now for the kicker: Our plumbing business isn’t alone. Small businesses across Oklahoma are looking at the same unfortunate choices if the minimum wage hike passes. The National Federation of Independent Business estimates that Oklahoma will lose 16,000 jobs and $700 million in economic activity in the coming years.

A $15 minimum wage hike won’t make life more affordable. It will create new problems and force small businesses to make painful decisions, from raising prices to cutting back. I hope my fellow Oklahomans vote against State Question 832. […]

Visit ProtectOKSmallBusiness.org for more information on the campaign.

Authorized and paid for by National Federation of Independent Business, 53 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-872-5800