Some Long Island business owners aren’t happy with Gov. Hochol’s proposal to tie the minimum wage to the cost of living.
As inflation continues to rise, the governor says people’s income is not keeping up.
“This significant change will give life to more than 900,000 minimum wage workers,” Ho-chul said. “And these workers are most likely to be women and more likely to be people of color.”
Robert Picciurro, who owns Cravings Catering in Plainview, said he and other business owners have already seen labor costs rise over the years due to forced hourly wage increases. increase.
He said that was on top of rising costs for food and supplies caused by the pandemic.
“I think things will be even more difficult for people paying the minimum wage and small business owners,” Picciurro said.
Opponents of the proposal also say that forcing employers to raise the minimum wage would give them no choice but to raise the price of what they sell.
“If you keep raising the cost of goods, you’re going to keep driving people away,” said Senator Dean Murray of East Patchoke.
Picciurro says the proposal is another headache facing him and other business owners.
“We work hard and make less,” says Picciurro.
Hochul said her proposal includes what she calls “guardrails” to limit the impact on small businesses.