David Cohen Takes On Philadelphia's Wage Discrimination Bill
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen expressed his opposition to a wage discrimination bill passed by Philadelphia City Council, telling Chris Stigall on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT that this bill will not solve the problem it is trying to combat.
"This is not a Comcast issue. This is every employer who I have come in contact with in the past month. Large employers, small employers, for-profit employers, non-profit employers, [are] shaking their heads at this legislation. It's not because they're against trying to get rid of wage disparities, we're passionate at Comcast about eliminating wage differentials based on gender or ethnicity, it's because this legislation is not an effective or good way to accomplish that particular objective."
Cohen said he is worried about how Philadelphia is viewed in the region and nationally following a series of acts enacted into law.
"I am concerned. The bottom line, and I've expressed this to the mayor and I'm expressing it to City Council..that Philadelphia is rapidly getting a reputation as one of the most anti-business cities in America."
He defended Mayor Jim Kenney, stating he did not support this bill, and hopes it will ultimately be met with a veto.
"This was not his legislation. It wasn't his idea. He wasn't supportive of it. This is something that went through city council. I don't know whether he is going to sign or veto it. The argument that [Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO] Rob Wonderling and I have made in the last few weeks is, it's not just this legislation. This legislation, in a sense, is a bit of a straw that breaks the camels back of a whole series of anti-business initiatives that city council has adopted and almost all of those have been adopted before Jim Kenney was mayor."
