Trade union Mandate has rejected the Irish Hospitality Industry Alliance's (IHIA) claims that pubs and restaurants in New York have been damaged by the introduction of smoke-free workplaces.
Mr Owen Nulty, the union's general secretary, said employment in New York City's restaurants and bars in the period March to June 2003 had increased by about 1,500 seasonally adjusted jobs.
Recently published data from the New York State Department of Labor shows an absolute gain of nearly 10,000 jobs since the implementation of the Smoke Free Air Act on 30th March last.
"Interestingly the increase of 1,500 jobs between March and June of 2003 is slightly larger than the increase seen during the same period last year in New York," Mr Nulty said.
"This data shows that, so far, the Smoke Free Air Act has not had a negative impact on employment in bars and restaurants in New York City. . . . This is why Mandate has consistently rejected the IHIA's wild claims about job losses as being baseless scaremongering".
Mr Nulty said the New York employment findings are consistent with a recent Zogby opinion poll that revealed most New Yorkers do not change their patterns of eating and drinking out because of smoke-free laws.
The poll found that 16 per cent of New Yorkers are more likely to go out now than they were before the law came into effect, compared to 11 per cent who said they would go out less often. The poll also showed 79 per cent of respondents favoured the smoke-free workplace. legislation.