Nineteen states, including New York and Connecticut, are ringing in the New Year by raising their minimum wage.
Long Island’s minimum wage will increase to $10 an hour, New York City goes to $11 and the rest of state will start the year at $9.70, and increase to $10.40 in July.
Connecticut’s minimum wage will rise to $10.10.
Thomas Shinick, a business professor at Adelphi University, says the raise could hurt small businesses who can’t afford it.
“If you increase the minimum wage to such an extent where businesses, small businesses, in the New York, Connecticut, surrounding tri-state area, they are going to start to lay off workers.”
Holly Sklar, with Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, says it will boost consumer spending, and cut down on staff turnover, “which really costs a lot of money for a business in terms of hiring and training workers.”
New York and Connecticut hope to increase the minimum wage of the entire states to $15 an hour by 2021.
