SMALL BUSINESS SLAMS BALTIMORE COUNCIL FOR LABOR COST INCREASE
BALTIMORE (March 20, 2017): In response to the Baltimore City Council voting in favor of increasing the cities minimum wage to $15 an hour, the following statement may be attributed to NFIB Maryland state director, Mike O’Halloran:
We are profoundly disappointed in the City Council’s vote this evening in support of a $15 an hour minimum wage. By increasing the cost of doing business in Baltimore, the Council sent a clear message to the small business community that the concerns they expressed with this mandate fell on deaf ears. Whether it be facing the reality that this increased labor cost will lead to laying off workers, reducing their hours or driving their business out of the city limits completely, each member of that council was well educated on the detrimental impact this minimum wage increase will have.
There is no realistic way to avoid the devastating impact this bill will inflict on Baltimore’s small businesses. Our hope is that the Mayor will hear the concerns of Baltimore’s small employers and put an end to this measure before it is implemented. As a small business owner herself, we are optimistic that she will show the leadership and courage to choose what is economically sound over that which is politically expedient.
