Over 30 Mom-and-Pop Shops, Bodegas, Laundromats, Auto Repair Shops, Salons, Restaurants, Join Forces to Back Gov. Hochul’s Plan for Relief.
Our Bureau
New York, NY
A coalition of more than 30 small business owners from across New York City — representing the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan — 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’s plan to crack down on auto insurance fraud and return real savings to working families and the small businesses that anchor their neighborhoods.
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’re all being squeezed by the same force: runaway auto insurance premiums that have surged 50 to 100 percent since 2021.
This is a crisis with a face. It’s a laundromat on Burke Avenue in the Bronx. It’s a deli in Crown Heights. It’s an auto repair shop in the South Bronx. These are the small business owners that hire locally, serve locally, and reinvest in their blocks — and they’re being forced to absorb costs that are no longer sustainable.
The coalition spans a mosaic of New York City’s working-class and immigrant communities — 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.
“For the small businesses that power this state, vehicles are the essential gears of our operations,” the business owners wrote. “Whether it’s a delivery van in Flushing, a contractor’s 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.”
“For many of us, insurance has become the second-largest expense after payroll,” the businesses wrote. “We are being forced to choose between cutting staff or passing these costs on to families already struggling with inflation.”
The small businesses expressed strong support for Governor Hochul’s proposal to address the root causes of rising premiums – including insurance fraud and legal abuse – while ensuring that savings generated by reforms are returned directly to consumers and small businesses.
“These aren’t just business owners, they are the heart of their neighborhoods,” said José Bayona, spokesperson for Citizens for Affordable Rates. “From 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 — they are the ones keeping communities alive, block by block. And they are all paying a fraud tax they didn’t create and can no longer afford. Albany has the power to fix this. It’s time to use it.”
The owners of the following businesses, endorse the Governor’s plan for Relief:
· Abetx International Brokers
· Ashley Resume Solutions
· Atlantis Fresh Market
· Beautiful Creations
· Builders Forever Construction Materials
· Citi Kitchen & Doors
· City Ironsmith Corp
· Classon Laundromat
· Cooperstown All Star LLC
· Crab House Brooklyn
· EMC Bath & Door
· Feifei Nail & Spa
· Flushing Auto Service
· Gino’s Pizzeria
· Golden Building Supply
· Hallelujah Praise the Lord Automotive Services
· Hunts Point Auto
· HZ NP Family Health LLC
· JF Kitchen
· Jia Ye Kitchen & Bath
· Laundry World
· Mag 99 Cent & Up Discount
· Metro Restoration
· New High Kitchen Cabinet
· New Life Kitchen & Bath
· New Northern Manor
· One Stop Deli
· Simple Mobile
· Time Floor & Cabinet
· Tristar Plumbing Co
· Washington Laundromat
· White Plains Laundromat
About Citizens for Affordable Rates (CAR)
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
