Retail Council statement on minimum wage, paid family leave

ALBANY, NY (03/31/2016)(readMedia)-- Retail Council of New York State President and CEO Ted Potrikus issues the following statement on today's announcement regarding an increase in the state's minimum wage and implementation of paid family and medical leave:

We commend Governor Cuomo, Speaker Heastie, and leaders Flanagan and Klein for the extraordinary time and energy they spent considering the various proposals circulating in Albany to change the minimum wage and paid family leave laws.

The Retail Council participated actively throughout those discussions, and although we have members concerned about continued economic growth in our state, the deal as announced addresses constructively many of the concerns we raised. We appreciate this because we respect the high priority Governor Cuomo and many in the state Legislature placed on raising the minimum wage and establishing a statewide system for paid family and medical leave.

We remain committed to working closely with the Governor and Legislature to set a business climate for New York that promotes continued economic growth for our state and attractive shopping opportunities for our customers.

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About the Retail Council of New York State: New York's voice of retail represents thousands of member stores of all size and variety, offering money-saving group programs and government relations to its members. For more information, visit retailcouncilnys.com.