Group opposing NY wage hike posts billboardGroup opposing NY wage hike posts billboard

The Employment Policies Institute, a public-policy research group, has taken its opposition to New York’s proposed fast-food minimum wage increases to the street, erecting a billboard in Times Square.

The billboard is part of the Washington, D.C.-based group’s digital and print advertising campaign called “Fast Food Flop” that criticizes the recommended wage increase. It will be in Times Square through Sept. 20, said the group, which receives support from restaurants, foundations and individuals.

EPI is a non-profit group managed by Berman and Company, a Washington, D.C.— based communications firm that advocates for public policy issues.

The Fast Food Wage Board, called for by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, voted July 22 to recommend that the New York State labor commissioner phase in a tiered, $15-an-hour minimum wage at restaurants with more than 30 units. The labor commissioner has yet to act on the recommendation.

The wage board’s resolutions defined “fast food" restaurants as those where customers order and pay before dining, that offer limited service, and are part of chain or franchise with 30 or more outlets nationally. It provided a faster timetable for New York City operators than for those in other parts of the state.

Photo: Employment Policy Institute

The Employment Policies Institute’s billboard portrays an employee asking: “What? I get $30,000 a year with no experience or skills?” The text goes on to say: “Who needs an education or hard work when Gov. Cuomo is raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.”

Michael Saltsman, research director at the Employment Policies Institute, said in a statement that “a $30,000 annual minimum wage isn't just a job-killer — it's a slap in the face to experienced employees who have climbed the career ladder through hard work to achieve such compensation.

“Rather than extolling these values,” Saltsman continued, “Gov. Cuomo is telling New Yorkers that when it comes to earning $30,000 a year, no skills and no education is no problem.”

The EPI cited Bureau of Labor Statistics data that showed the median hourly wage for first-line food industry supervisors in New York state is $16.02, which the group said is “only negligibly higher than the new minimum wage of the entry-level employees they’ll be supervising.”

Groups that support minimum wage increases have also employed billboards to promote their message.

In January 2014, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, as part of its efforts to increase the minimum wage in that California jurisdiction, paid for a month-long campaign of seven Los Angeles-area billboards that reminded commuters of the number of people in the county living below the poverty line.

In January 2014, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor paid for a month-long campaign of seven billboards that reminded commuters of the number of people in the county living below the poverty line. Rendering: Los Angeles County Federation of Labor

Those labor-supported billboards mimicked city limits signage, citing the 810,864 “poverty wage” residents in Los Angeles.

On June 13, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti signed an ordinance, which the Los Angeles City Council two days earlier had approved 12-1, to raise the citywide minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020.

This article has been revised to reflect the following update:

Update: Aug. 28, 2015 This story has been updated to include the management company of The Employment Policies Institute.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
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