SOON THERE WONT BE ANYONE LEFT IN CONNECTICUT THAT CAN AFFORD $15 AN HOUR ANYWAY

Date: April 14, 2016

SOON THERE WONT BE ANYONE LEFT IN CONNECTICUT THAT CAN AFFORD $15 AN HOUR ANYWAY

HARTFORD (April 14, 2016): A rally today has the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) wondering if those calling for increasing the minimum wage in Connecticut understand the consequences that such a mandate would have not just on employment in the state but on the economy as a whole. With recent unemployment numbers in Connecticut showing an  increase in joblessness and optimism among small business owners at a two-year low, the timing could not be worse for debating an increase to labor costs.

“Thanks to massive budget deficits and overwhelming tax and regulatory burdens in Connecticut, the struggle of small business owners cannot be understated. To even consider an overwhelming labor increase like this would be laughable if the situation were not so dire,” according to NFIB Connecticut state director, Andrew Markowski. “Raising the minimum wage rate to $15 hour on people that have been doing everything in their power to keep their employees working would be the final nail in many small businesses. They’ve already had to raise the prices of their goods and services to offset tax increases and the ever fluctuating cost of regulations thanks to poor legislative decisions in the past. Proponents of $15 an hour just refuse to see the magnitude of the long-term impact of what they are calling for.”

Today’s rally was organized by supporters looking for the minimum wage rate to be raised to $15 an hour across the country. The NFIB has been advocating for years that increasing mandates of any kind on the small business sector only adds to the difficulties Mom and Pop shops are having recovering from the great recession. For many, that includes the desire to hire additional people however they hesitate based on the current political climate.

“Our members are incredibly frustrated with the economic uncertainty that they are being forced to operate within. We’ve already lost GE and rumors are rampant that another large corporation may follow. Small businesses may soon be the only employer left in Connecticut and they certainly cannot afford yet another government mandate,” continued Markowski. “Best case scenarios would be that increasing to $15 an hour eliminates jobs for younger or lower skilled workers but regardless, the minimum wage rate was never intended to feed entire families, and increasing the rate to such an absurd amount will have the same impact that significantly increasing taxes does. Governor Malloy knows that Connecituct’s new reality cannot handle any new taxes, its time political activists come to the same realization.”

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