Bid to hike R.I.'s minimum wage pits advocates against businesses
PROVIDENCE — The latest push to raise Rhode Island’s $10.50-an-hour minimum wage by 60 cents — to boost the pay of an estimated 19,800-plus Rhode Islanders — is facing pushback from the state’s business lobby.
Hours before the Senate Finance Committee’s Thursday night hearing on Gov. Gina Raimondo’s bid to raise the minimum wage from $10.50 to $11.10 an hour on Jan. 1, 2020, the National Federation of Independent Business sounded these warnings:
“Raising Rhode Island’s minimum wage again, after repeated increases, will hurt small businesses. Entry-level jobs will disappear when small employers can’t afford higher labor costs.”
The NFIB describes itself as “the nation’s largest advocacy organization representing small and independent businesses,” including commercial enterprises, high-tech manufacturers, family farmers, neighborhood retailers and service companies.
Read more: https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190207/bid-to-hike-ris-minimum-wage-pits-advocates-against-businesses