Raimondo announces new push for minimum wage hike
By Bianca Buono
@BBuonoABC6
Governor Gina Raimondo is announcing her latest push for a minimum wage hike.
"I think it’s the right thing to do. You know I had actually advocated to go to $10.10 last year and the legislature settled on $9.60 which was a step in the right direction,” Governor Gina Raimondo said at an event at the state house on Friday.
Minimum wage workers in Rhode Island started making $9.60 at the start of 2016, making it the fourth increase in four years. State Representative Bobby Nardolillo says small businesses can’t handle another.
"Some of those businesses might not even be adjusted yet and now potentially she’s going ahead to push for another adjustment and that could very well close a lot more store fronts,” said St. Rep. Bobby Nardolillo.
Nardolillo says when minimum wage goes up, two things often happen to small businesses.
"They might be forced to layoff which is a job killer as I just said and the second thing is that they might be forced to increase their prices,” Nardolillo said.
But Raimondo referred to the fact that a handful of cities and states have raised their minimum wage to $15 an hour and says the increase will put more money into the economy.
"When you put money in the pockets of working families, they immediately spend it and it goes right into the economy,” said Raimondo.
The governor is expected to formally introduce this increase on Tuesday when she submits her budget. ABC6 will be live streaming her State of the State address.
