By Juan Lasso
LI Herald, Jan 26, 2024
The minimum hourly wage on Long Island has climbed from $15 to $16 starting this year thanks to a mandate, brokered by lawmakers in Albany and Gov. Kath Hochul in last year’s budget deal. ...
Phil Andrews, President of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, argues the increase, all things considered, signifies good news for employers. He challenged the conventional business wisdom that higher wages would prompt owners to make job cuts and layoffs to absorb higher labor costs.
“For businesses, when you pay your workers higher wages, they usually tend to stay in the job and be more productive. There is less turnover and you retain your workers for longer,” said Andrews, who is a member of the New York Business for a Fair Minimum Wage Coalition. “Businesses need to invest in their workers to be successful. Wages need to be raised so that people can have the means to give back to the economy under a decent standard of living.” ...