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Note to Albany: Pushing workers over ‘benefits cliff’ makes no sense
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (The Buffalo News) — If the moral imperative of making work pay doesn’t prompt compensation adequate for a decent life – and clearly it often doesn’t – maybe the impact on the economy of penalizing workers for bettering themselves will change some minds.
That’s the idea behind state legislation being pushed by business groups and others to address the “benefits cliff” that is contributing to the region’s hiring woes.
“The increase in wages is not enough to make up for the financial value of these lost benefits,” especially if the cuts occur all at once, said Grant Loomis, VP of government affairs and economic development at the Buffalo Niagara Partnership.
That makes it counterproductive for some workers to take jobs or promotions.
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