The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is urging lawmakers in the Louisiana State Senate to vote against bills that would increase the minimum wage and promote equal pay for women in the private sector.
Senate Bill 162, introduced by Democratic State Sen. Troy Carter, would raise the minimum wage in the state to $8.00 an hour in 2019 and increase it to $8.50 per hour in 2020. This is above the federal minimum wage rate of $7.25 an hour.
“Creating a state minimum wage and increasing it to $8.50 an hour on Jan. 1, 2020, and enforcing compliance with the federal rate would hurt the very people proponents say they’re trying to help,” NFIB State Director Dawn Starns said.
Starns said if the state mandates an increase in the cost of labor, then employers will have to raise prices or try to get by with fewer workers.
NFIB is also against a bill introduced by Democratic State Sen. J.P. Morrell Requires that would require any contractor who enters into a contract with a state entity to comply with the Louisiana Equal Pay for Women Act. This is designed to promote fair pay for equal work for women in the private sector. Morrell also introduced a bill that prohibits employers from discriminating or retaliating against employees for discussing wages.
NFIB said the equal pay legislation that would create “a new excuse for disgruntled workers to sue their employers.”
“Federal law already guarantees equal pay for equal work,” Starns said. “The fact of the matter is that employers may have legitimate reasons for paying some employees more than others. For example, someone with more tenure who does an outstanding job may earn more than a co-worker who does the same tasks, regardless of gender.”