By Victor Ocasio
Newsday, May 4, 2023
... But while many in the business community predict headwinds, other groups said the increases aren't enough.
New York Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a coalition of around 300 businesses and organizations, had been pushing for a more ambitious increase — to $21.25 by 2026, with cost of living adjustments thereafter.
“I think it should have been increased right away,” said Phil Andrews, president of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce and a member of the coalition. “This has been the highest inflationary time we have probably seen in our lifetime. I don’t know how people are buying their groceries.”
Andrews said his support of an even higher minimum stems from the needs of the small businesses he represents, who are hurt by a lack of customers with disposable income.
“Workers have to be making money to spend money and the economy is not going to work if people are holding their dollars back,” he said. “If people stop spending, the stores close down.”