The National Retail Federation's President and CEO Matthew Shay put out
a statement against a hike in the minimum wage. The statement followed
the State of the Union address in which President Obama promised to sign
an executive order increasing the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per
hour for workers on new government contracts and ask Congress to approve
the same increase for all workers.
Shay's statement follows:
“If you want to create minimum
opportunities, then raise the minimum wage. We welcome the president’s
focus on the economy and jobs, but a minimum wage hike runs counter to
that goal. Raising the minimum wage would place a new burden on
employers at a time when national policy should be focused on removing
barriers to job creation, not creating new regulations or mandates. It’s
simple math – if the cost of hiring goes up, hiring goes down.
“Fewer
than 5 percent of hourly workers are paid the minimum wage. It’s really
a starting wage that allows teen-agers or others with little job
experience to enter the workforce. A mandated hike in labor costs would
negatively impact businesses that employ people in entry-level jobs and
ultimately hurt the people it is intended to help. This isn’t economic
theory – when the minimum wage went up in 2009, half a million part-time
workers lost their jobs. That’s a risk our economy can’t afford to
take.”
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association,
representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty
stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants
and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45
countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer,
supporting one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans.
Contributing $2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer
for the nation’s economy.
NRF’s This is Retail campaign highlights the
industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen
communities, and the critical role that retail plays in driving
innovation. www.nrf.com
By press release
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