New Guide Helps New York Entrepreneurs Understand How Raising the State̢??‰?s Minimum Wage Would Impact their Business, Local Economy

New York̢??‰??Small Business Majority released an online guide today to help New York small employers understand how efforts to raise the state̢??‰?s minimum wage would impact their businesses, and the state̢??‰?s economy on the whole. Businesses will be able to use the website to send comments directly to lawmakers to show them how real entrepreneurs feel about this issue.

Research shows a majority of small business owners support raising the minimum wage. Small Business Majority̢??‰?s recent scientific opinion poll shows 74 percent of small business owners support increasing the federal minimum wage and adjusting it annually to the cost of living, and 72 percent agree increasing the minimum wage would be good for small businesses and boost consumer demand for small business, helping them grow and hire. What̢??‰?s more, small business owners believe raising the minimum wage will help retain key employees.

̢???We try to treat our employees with as much respect as we can and pay them as much as we can, and as a result, we have employees who stick around for a long time,̢???? said Matt Grove, owner of????Bagel Grove in Utica, NY. ̢???The payoff of that is definitely worth any additional money we pay because we have a better, happier staff.̢????

Small business owners support raising the minimum wage because they believe paying employees a livable wage is an integral step in boosting the earnings of working families, creating new jobs and spurring economic growth. According to the Public Affairs Council, 68 percent of Americans say they prefer to shop at local small businesses. Raising the minimum wage would not only be good for workers, but it would give hard-working Americans more money to spend at local small businesses, which helps them create jobs and strengthen their local economies.

̢???A vast majority of small businesses already pay their workers more than the minimum wage. Many small employers feel it̢??‰?s the right thing to do,̢???? said Erik Rettig, New York Outreach Manager for Small Business Majority. ̢???We also know small business owners' number one concern is consumer demand. This directly tackles the problem by giving consumers the resources they need to shop at local small businesses in the community. It̢??‰?s a win-win for business.̢????

For more information about how minimum wage affects small business, please visit: www.wagefacts-ny.com.