Small Firms Oppose Leave, Wage Hikes

New York employers are urging state lawmakers to reject plans to extend family leave and boost the minimum wage.

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New York's small-business owners are urging state lawmakers to reject recent proposals to extend family leave periods and boost the minimum wage, according to the National Federation of Independent Business, a Washington-based advocacy group.

In a survey of 11,000 members of its New York chapter, 92 percent opposed the family-leave measure, which would extend paid employee absences to 12 weeks, while 83 percent of opposed increasing the minimum wage.

Opponents of the measures say higher wages and longer leave periods would discourage smaller employers from creating new jobs.

"The mortgage crisis and the resulting carnage have already put our economy on shaky ground," Mike Elmendorf, the group's New York State director, said in a statement. "Now is the absolutely worst time to impose a new set of costly mandates that drive entrepreneurs and job creators out of New York," he said.

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