Over 30 Mom-and-Pop Shops, Bodegas, Laundromats, Auto Repair Shops, Salons, Restaurants, Join Forces to Back Gov. Hochul\u2019s Plan for Relief.<\/p>\n
Our Bureau<\/p>\n
New York, NY<\/p>\n
A coalition of more than 30 small business owners from across New York City \u2014 representing the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan \u2014 is sending a letter today to Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Heastie. Their message is urgent and clear: support the Governor\u2019s plan to crack down on auto insurance fraud and return real savings to working families and the small businesses that anchor their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
They run the corner deli in Crown Heights. The nail salon in Bayside. The auto shop in Hunts Point. The laundromat on Fulton Street. And right now, they\u2019re all being squeezed by the same force: runaway auto insurance premiums that have surged 50 to 100 percent since 2021.<\/p>\n
This is a crisis with a face. It\u2019s a laundromat on Burke Avenue in the Bronx. It\u2019s a deli in Crown Heights. It\u2019s an auto repair shop in the South Bronx. These are the small business owners that hire locally, serve locally, and reinvest in their blocks \u2014 and they\u2019re being forced to absorb costs that are no longer sustainable.<\/p>\n
The coalition spans a mosaic of New York City\u2019s working-class and immigrant communities \u2014 Chinese-owned kitchen and cabinet shops in Flushing, Bangladeshi and South Asian-owned businesses in Ozone Park, Black-owned bodegas and phone repair shops in Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, and Latino-owned service businesses in the Bronx and Queens. Their message cuts across every language and zip code: auto insurance is broken, and Albany needs to fix it now.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the small businesses that power this state, vehicles are the essential gears of our operations,\u201d the business owners wrote. \u201cWhether it\u2019s a delivery van in Flushing, a contractor\u2019s truck in Brooklyn, or a service vehicle serving customers in the Bronx, our economic growth is being crushed by a system that has spiraled out of control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many of us, insurance has become the second-largest expense after payroll,\u201d the businesses wrote. \u201cWe are being forced to choose between cutting staff or passing these costs on to families already struggling with inflation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The small businesses expressed strong support for Governor Hochul\u2019s proposal to address the root causes of rising premiums \u2013 including insurance fraud and legal abuse \u2013 while ensuring that savings generated by reforms are returned directly to consumers and small businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese aren\u2019t just business owners, they are the heart of their neighborhoods,\u201d said Jos\u00e9 Bayona, spokesperson for Citizens for Affordable Rates. \u201cFrom the bodega owner in Crown Heights to the auto shop in Hunts Point, from the laundromat on Burke Avenue to the nail salon in Bayside \u2014 they are the ones keeping communities alive, block by block. And they are all paying a fraud tax they didn\u2019t create and can no longer afford. Albany has the power to fix this. It\u2019s time to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The owners of the following businesses, endorse the Governor\u2019s plan for Relief:<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Abetx International Brokers<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Ashley Resume Solutions<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Atlantis Fresh Market<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Beautiful Creations<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Builders Forever Construction Materials<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Citi Kitchen & Doors<\/p>\n
\u00b7 City Ironsmith Corp<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Classon Laundromat<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Cooperstown All Star LLC<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Crab House Brooklyn<\/p>\n
\u00b7 EMC Bath & Door<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Feifei Nail & Spa<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Flushing Auto Service<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Gino\u2019s Pizzeria<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Golden Building Supply<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Hallelujah Praise the Lord Automotive Services<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Hunts Point Auto<\/p>\n
\u00b7 HZ NP Family Health LLC<\/p>\n
\u00b7 JF Kitchen<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Jia Ye Kitchen & Bath<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Laundry World<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Mag 99 Cent & Up Discount<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Metro Restoration<\/p>\n
\u00b7 New High Kitchen Cabinet<\/p>\n
\u00b7 New Life Kitchen & Bath<\/p>\n
\u00b7 New Northern Manor<\/p>\n
\u00b7 One Stop Deli<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Simple Mobile<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Time Floor & Cabinet<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Tristar Plumbing Co<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Washington Laundromat<\/p>\n
\u00b7 White Plains Laundromat<\/p>\n
About Citizens for Affordable Rates (CAR)<\/p>\n
Citizens for Affordable Rates (CAR) is a coalition of citizens, advocates, and organizations dedicated to tackling the root causes of high auto insurance costs in New York. Through advocacy, education, and policy reform, CAR is committed to building an affordable and dependable system for all New Yorkers. For more information, visit: www.citizensforaffordablerates.com<\/p>\n
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