Senator Anthony Bucco said a law signed by Governor Phil Murphy today to raise the minimum wage in New Jersey from $8.85 to $15 per hour will force small business owners to make tough choices about staffing levels and the adoption of labor-replacing technologies.
“As a small business owner, I understand how difficult it is to maintain employees’ jobs and benefits when we’re constantly faced with new taxes and expensive mandates from the State,” said Bucco (R-25). “I have no doubt that the huge costs being forced on employers by Governor Murphy and the Democratic legislature will lead to reduced hours for workers, layoffs, and the faster adoption of automation technologies that already are driving workforce reductions in many industries.”
Bucco noted that self-service technologies, including checkout kiosks and ordering tablets, are increasingly common in the retail and restaurant industries.
Similarly, rapid advances in robotics are providing employers with affordable options to replace workers in labor intensive jobs in a variety of industries, including agriculture, shipping, and warehousing.
“The simple fact is that many low-skill jobs won’t be worth $15 an hour to an employer when they have access to reliable technology that can perform the same function at a competitive cost,” added Bucco. “Governor Murphy doesn’t understand that the minimum wage for unemployed workers who have lost their jobs to robots or kiosks is zero.”
AMEN.
But hey…. continue voting in Democrats….. they really care. They care very much… about your wallet and staying in power.
Supermarkets will become all self checkout. Forget about baggers. Work shifts, when available will never exceed 40 hours. The unskilled population will find themselves working full days for half weeks. It might become an increased crime problem.
business owners will struggle to make payroll. eventually the increased cost of running a business will get passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices, so we will all be paying for this.
They made dire predictions when my local minimum wage went to $8 an hour. Same when it jumped to $15. Reality was much different. Businesses came to town, hired people at working wages and no one had to close because of the new minimum wage. My town is the size of Lkwd. And let’s get real, with all the business that pay off the books how many will really be impacted?
Running payroll forr various companies, I see those that can afford to take increase, and those that can’t. Some swallow it and move on, perhaps cutting corners elsewhere. Others simply can’t and have to become creative about their bottom line. Many workers find their shifts cut every time minimum wage goes up, or another tax hits the employers, to eliminate the extra hours they are on standby, thereby eliminating the need to increase their wages. At the end of the day, many simply are not coming home with any more than they were before all the increases kicked in.
well at least somebody is paying attention to whats going… democrats believe in free money….as long as it helps them fill their own deep pockets.