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Hawley critical of minimum wage hike for fast food workers

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today condemned the decision by the Fast-Food Wage Board to raise the minimum wage for all fast-food workers statewide to $15 per hour. Hawley said that non-elected bureaucrats making statewide labor policy is an irresponsible way to govern and sets a dangerous precedent that is wrong for New York State.

“As a small-business owner for over four decades, I am appalled at the governor’s handling of this situation,” Hawley said. “Allowing a group of non-elected officials to determine a major change in labor policy for New York’s fast-food industry sets a dangerous precedent of allowing bureaucrats, hand-picked by the governor, to make legislative decisions without debate or input from the Legislature.

"A sharp wage increase will undoubtedly lead to higher prices for consumers and the termination of many employees statewide as franchise owners adjust to deal with higher labor costs. The minimum wage was never meant to be a living wage and a more viable solution would be to create more sustainable, career-oriented jobs instead of providing an incentive against working hard to advance.”

Brian Graz

We've come a long way baby...

“No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.”

—President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933, Statement on National Industrial Recovery Act

Jul 27, 2015, 4:46pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

From http://www.wgrz.com/story/money/economy/2015/07/27/ny-board-passes-fast…

[Despite the board unanimously approving the report Monday morning, state Department of Labor spokesman Chris White said the document won't be made public until it's signed by all three members of the wage panel, who were in different locations for the teleconferenced meeting. That will likely happen later this week, White said.

That appears to be at odds with Section 103-e of the state Open Meetings Law, which requires that "any proposed resolution, law, rule, regulation, policy or any amendment thereto" must be made available to the public prior to or at a meeting where it's scheduled to be discussed "to the extent practicable as determined by the agency or department."

"The signature on the report, in my opinion, is irrelevant," said Robert Freeman, head of the state Committee on Open Government. "What is most relevant is the fact that the report was apparently adopted by a majority of the membership of the board. In my opinion, there's no reason for either denying access or delaying disclosure." ]

I believe what Mr. Freeman (head of the state Committee on Open Government) meant to say is, "What the Hell? We ain't gotta follow any such stupid rules, as put forth by some dumb department known as the NY Dept. of State. After all, this IS Andrew's land, and, it IS his idea, and, THAT'S good enough for me!"

In fact, I think there's a youtube video featuring Mr. Cuomo, himself, playing a 1929 Dobro Resonator Mandolin, while screeching out the words, "This land is MY land, This land is MY land, From Buffalo Harbor, to the New York islands; From the Adirondack's, to the rotten Big Apple; This land belongs to ME and Me."

Catchy little tune. Who knows? Maybe his mistress, Sandra Lee, can bake y'all some 'Rotten Apple Tarts'!

Jul 27, 2015, 5:09pm Permalink
Robert Bombard

Steve Hawley i wouldn't worry about it to much Mcdonalds and Burger King both made press releases about how they plan to fast track there plan for automated restaurants. They will only need 1 low pay employee, 1 manager and 1 high pay automation tech. and the automation tech could bounce between multiple locations. So instead of these automated fast food places slowly poping up across the nation, there going to focus on the only state in the nation (new york) with a stupid pay raise just for fast food workers! "Im starting to love the un-informed class, they can picket there way out of a job!"

Jul 27, 2015, 9:16pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Frank. Want an easy way to get around your problem (comments are saving before I'm done)?

Create (write) your comment in whatever 'document creator' you have (ie. Microsoft Word, Microsoft Note, OpenOffice, etc.), then copy & paste it into thebatavian comment box. Then hit Save to post it. (PS - if you also save it in your other document folder, you'll have it, just in case it doesn't post correctly here).

Jul 28, 2015, 8:22pm Permalink
bud prevost

The comment section has it in for Frank. Just like the rest of the world, out to get Frank! The world sucks, cause it's out to get Frank. Poor Frank, you against the world.
]

Jul 28, 2015, 11:36pm Permalink
Brian Graz

Gotta love the frivolity of the respondents here. In response #7 Frank didn't even get to complete a whole sentence... AND HE GETS 2 THUMBS DOWN ON IT???!!!!!

Jul 29, 2015, 12:54am Permalink
Billie Owens

I am dumfounded that New York is making it a law that fast-food chains have to pay their workers at least $15 an hour. If you're working at a fast-food restaurant and want to make enough to support your family, get more education and skills, or work like a dog and open your own business and take a risk on a better life. This is one of the most asinine pieces of lawmaking I've ever heard of.

Jul 30, 2015, 2:43pm Permalink
Linda LaPorte

Let’s hope that by the year 2021 (the full $15.00/hr) the servers will learn how to get the orders accurate, especially the drive-thru. I said “no tartar sauce on my fish fillet…what don’t you understand?” Now I know I don’t have to eat fast food – but sometimes you just gotta!

Jul 30, 2015, 3:31pm Permalink

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