Sunday, April 20, 2014

Macy's CEO: Increase in Minimum Wage Will Result in Layoffs

File under: Obvious
Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren believes that raising the minimum wage would result in fewer jobs for Americans. 
"We did this in 2009, that was the last time, and I think there was half a million jobs lost that were attributed to that raise," Lundgren told Sapna Maheshwari at Buzzfeed.
"What you really have to be careful of is you don’t want to raise the wage and lay people off in order to be able to afford it because that would be the opposite of what we are all trying to do here," he said. 
Macy's sales associates make an average of $8.76 an hour, according to the website Glass Door.
Lundgren told Maheshwari that raising the minimum could result in more layoffs. Macy's announced in January that it was cutting 2,500 jobs. 
"So if your costs go up by X million by taking an initiative like this, what are companies going to do? It doesn’t mean their sales are going to get better, it just means that you’re going to have to offset that expense and how are you going to offset that expense?" Lundgren asked. "The worst thing that can happen is we end up laying off people."

2 comments:

  1. "Macy's CEO: Increase in Minimum Wage Will Result in Layoffs"

    Gee, you think? Amazing how these "Workers of the world unite" dip-shits don't seem to see that. This isn't rocket science.

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  2. Minimum wage rhetoric is good politics. Politicians are seen giving out raises. Unions love wage floors. Liberals can feel good about themselves.

    Of course, the reality is that marginally-skilled workers will be laid off. Call it compulsory unemployment. And you won't see those same politicians touting the benefits of minimum wages taking responsibility for the destruction of jobs.

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