Corwin: New Yorkers Need Economic Stability

March 5, 2013

Assemblywoman Jane Corwin (R,C,I-Clarence) was among the members today who voted against one-house legislation, Assembly Bill 38, that would automatically increase the minimum wage to $10.94 over the next 10 years.

“This is a difficult issue because of course we want to ensure that every New Yorker has a true livable wage – and more than that – that they have a well-paying job that allows them to afford the wonderful, yet expensive, quality of life here in our state,” said Corwin. “While this legislation is well-intended, it would have an adverse effect: lost jobs for the largest demographic currently earning minimum wage, young adults. We need to protect our hardworking young adults, but passing legislation that would further cripple their employment options in this economy is not the right decision.”

A 2009 study by economists at American University and Cornell University looked at the impact raising the minimum wage from $7.15 to $8.25 would have on employment. The results of the study were a loss of 28,990 jobs in New York State. This study also showed a decrease in employment among workers aged 16-29 when minimum wage was increased from $5.15 to $6.75. A similar study by the National Federation of Independent Business found that raising the minimum wage to $8.50 would result in a loss of 22,000 jobs.

According to the United States Department of Labor, 55 percent of workers receiving minimum wage are younger than 25 and 68 percent of workers receiving minimum wage are part-time employees. United States 2012 Census data shows an unemployment rate for New Yorkers aged 16-19 years old at 28 percent and aged 16-24 years old at 15.25 percent.

Additionally, raising the minimum wage has been criticized as an ineffective way to help low-income families. Economists, including Christina Romer (who was the chairwoman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers and is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley), state that a better, more effective way to assist low-income families would be to extend current tax subsidies, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit. Corwin supports this initiative, as it puts funds directly into the pockets of hardworking families without adding to the costs of employers or compromising youth employment opportunities.

Corwin also supports a pro-jobs agenda that would get government out of the way of private-sector job growth. She has long supported cutting the 46,000 pages of regulatory red tape faced by New York’s employers, reducing taxes and other costs of doing business, enacting a comprehensive energy plan that will provide citizens and employers more affordable energy, making strategic investments in job-creating initiatives such as infrastructure, Internet and telecommunications networks, and partnering education with area employers to ensure that students are ready to enter the workforce here in New York State when they graduate.

“As a mother, I want to make sure that every young adult has the best job opportunities, in terms of career paths as well as part-time employment. As we try to rebound from the economic recession, we cannot further cripple New Yorkers’ chances by eliminating more jobs,” said Corwin. “What Albany needs, and I have long been fighting for, are measures to create jobs, and better-paying jobs, by cutting regulations and reducing costs on employers while also increasing workforce training, education-to-employment career paths, and matching higher education with the needs of our area employers.”

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