FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Christopher Carlozzi
State Director NFIB in Rhode Island
christopher.carlozzi@nfib.org

PROVIDENCE (Feb 3, 2021) – Tonight, Governor Gina Raimondo called for another minimum wage increase in her State of the State Address. This comment came less than an hour after the Senate Committee on Labor approved a bill to raise the wage to $15 per hour. The National Federation of Independent Business, a small business advocacy association that represents thousands of members in Rhode Island opposes that hike in the wage threshold. The following comments are offered by NFIB’s Rhode Island State Director, Christopher Carlozzi: 

“Small business owners hoped to hear Rhode Island would support their recovery with policies addressing their significant pandemic-related losses. Instead, they heard the Governor call for another minimum wage increase that will send labor costs up precipitously at the most difficult time financially.

“This threatens the survival of neighborhood restaurants, retail shops, hotels, and many other businesses hard-hit by the pandemic. This will not boost employee’s paychecks in many cases, because if the owner can’t afford the higher wage, they will have no choice but to cut hours and jobs or close permanently.”