Fast-food owners vow to fight $15 pay recommendation

Published July 23, 2015 This content is archived.

Jerry Newman, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus of Organization and Human Resources, is quoted in an article in the Buffalo News about the state Wage Board’s recommendation to increase the minimum wage in New York State to $15 per hour for fast-food workers at national chain restaurants. “This is spread over a six-year period, with a dollar increase every year,” he said. “If it were $6 in one year, that would be catastrophic. But $6 in six years? Yes, it puts them at a serious disadvantage, but a lot of things can happen in six years. This could be the first nail in constructing a house of fair wages.” He also was quoted in an article in Newsday. In addition, Lawrence Southwick, associate professor emeritus of finance, was interviewed on WIVB-TV about the new fast-food minimum wage. “If I’m going to pay the same at McDonald’s as I do at a mid-price restaurant, why not go to the mid-price restaurant?” he said.

http://www.buffalonews.com/business/furor-over-higher-fast-food-wage-20150723

http://www.newsday.com/business/fast-food-owners-vow-to-fight-15-pay-recommendation-1.10672373

http://wivb.com/2015/07/23/local-economists-weigh-in-on-wage-debate/