By Kenneth Lovett
New York Daily News, Nov 10, 2015
ALBANY — They‘re trying to “Save Our Swirled.“
Calling it a “real moral issue,” Ben & Jerry’s corporation is publicly supporting Gov. Cuomo’s push for a $15-an-hour state minimum wage, the Daily News has learned.
“It's a moral disgrace that so many hard-working New Yorkers have to scrape to get by on a minimum wage that has fallen so far behind the cost of living,” said Ben & Jerry’s Board Chairman Jeff Furman.
The current $8.75 an hour minimum wage is set to jump to $9 at the end of the year. Cuomo needs legislative approval to increase the wage statewide to $15 an hour for everyone.
Furman argued that raising it to $15 an hour over several years “will boost the consumer buying power that businesses depend on” and would also be “an important investment in New York’s social and economic progress.”
Ben & Jerry’s, which is based in Vermont, offers its employees at its manufacturing plants a starting salary of $16.92 an hour, health insurance, and three pints of ice cream a day, Furman said.
The company, he said, reassesses the minimum it pays every year, factoring in things like food, housing, and fuel costs.
“We've paid a living wage for more than 20 years, sparing our employees the struggle of trying to make it on wages that don't even cover basic expenses,” Furman said. “In return, our company is spared the cost of high employee turnover.”
Ben & Jerry franchises that sell the ice cream at their stores are not bound by the higher corporate rate, but are covered under a recent Cuomo administration order phasing in a $15-an-hour minimum wage for fast-food workers by 2018 in the city and 2021 in the rest of the state.
Furman said the corporation would be willing to help with the transition, possibly by lowering some rents or royalty and licensing fees franchisees pay. ...
Furman says he plans to be active as the fight over the minimum wage heats up in the coming legislative year. No state has enacted a $15-an-hour minimum wage, though a handful of cities like Los Angeles and Seattle have. ...
Copyright 2015 New York Daily News