GMCC Positions
2004
City of Madison Minimum Wage
Motion:
As an advocate for business in Madison, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce fervently opposes the Madison City Council´s proposal to raise the local minimum wage to $7.75. A unilateral increase at the local level will have a devastating impact on local business and will damage our city´s economic health. The proposed increase will also have a chilling effect on the message the city of Madison sends to the business community, decreasing the city´s ability to attract new jobs. The ordinance will damage prospects for expansion of existing business, creating an environment inhospitable to economic growth. GMCC leadership feels that the local increase is an example of bad public policy that will cripple small businesses, encourage urban sprawl, and hurt the very people that it is intended to help.