Op-Ed By Holly Sklar
Distributed by American Forum, July 15, 2026. Patriot News (Harrisburg, PA), Yahoo News, Santa Fe New Mexican, Gettysburg Times, Atlanta Daily World, Hannibal Courier Post (MO), Our Weekly (LA), Newark Advocate (OH), KPC News (IN), many more.

People who work for a living need to be able to make a living. Raising the minimum wage is a vital part of the solution to the affordability crisis.

The cost of food, housing and other necessities has risen sharply. But the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 since July 24, 2009...

MSN News, July 6, 2026

...  Groups like Business for a Fair Minimum Wage argue that higher wage floors reduce turnover, boost consumer spending, and level the playing field, citing examples from Oregon, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Alaska. ... Local business owners, such as in Juneau, Alaska, say fair pay helps retain staff and improve service quality.

"People who work for a living need to be able to make a living—not struggling to afford basic necessities. These state and local minimum wage increases will help workers keep up with inflation and bolster the consumer spending...

By Jean Marbella
Baltimore Sun, July 2, 2026. Also Yahoo News, Capital Gazette, Carroll County Times.

At just 18 and with several jobs already under his belt, Mason Byrd has already learned a truth about the lower end of the wage scale.

"The reality is," the Ellicott City resident said, "there is a difference between minimum wage and a living wage."

On Wednesday, the minimum wage in Howard County rose to $16 an hour for all employees regardless of size, part of a series of phased-in increases mandated by a 2021 law ...

At BA...

By Lillian Reed
Baltimore Banner, 7/1/2026

Employees at Howard County’s smallest businesses are getting a raise in July thanks to a pandemic-era law that established incremental hikes to the minimum wage beginning in 2022.

The wage floor is now $16 an hour for county businesses with 14 or fewer employees, along with nonprofits and entities that provide home and health services and food services. It’s the final adjustment spelled out in the law before the county’s local minimum wage increases shift to being set by the consumer price index in 2027.

The law puts Howard...

By Kevin Hardy
Stateline, June 24, 2026. Also Yahoo News, CPA Practice Advisor, Michigan Advance, Pennsylvania Capital Star, Arizona Daily Sun, Missoula Current, Republic Monitor (MO), Louisiana Illuminator, Idaho Capital Sun, KOTA-TV (Rapid City, SD), many more.

Workers in more than 20 cities and states will see the minimum wage increase next month as local governments continue to raise the wage floor amid federal inaction. ... Alaska and Oregon will see statewide increases in the wage floor July 1 ...

But proponents say that a higher wage floor is needed to keep up with rising...

By Indeed Editorial Team
Indeed, Updated June 16, 2026

When you accept a promotion or are applying for a new job, it's important to consider the salary range. Understanding how your salary compares to standard figures like the cost of living and minimum wage can help you assess whether it adequately meets your needs. ...

While minimum wage amounts have continued to increase among many states, many argue that the cost of living is still higher than minimum wage provides, especially for those supporting a family. Inflation can also impact cost of living, which can outpace...

By Alyssa Burr
Alaska Independent, June 9, 2026

Alaska workers will see their minimum hourly wage increase from $13 to $14 on July 1. The boost in hourly pay stems from a 2024 ballot measure approved by roughly 58% of Alaska voters. The measure amended Alaska labor law to phase in annual minimum wage increases until the state’s pay for hourly workers reaches $15 in July 2027. The minimum wage will increase to adjust for inflation in the years thereafter. This July also marks one year since employers were required to provide paid sick time...

By Sean Salai
Washington Times, April 13, 2026

... Under Ms. Spanberger, Virginia joins more than a dozen other states that pay service workers at least $15 an hour ... The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute projects that 17 states pay at least $15 an hour this year, from $15.15 in Arizona to $17.13 in Washington.

“I don’t agree that raising Virginia’s minimum wage will kill jobs or hurt the economy,” Holly Sklar, CEO of the advocacy group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, said in an email. “Minimum wage increases boost consumer spending, which boosts...

By Arun Venugopa
Gothamist, March 19, 2026

Supporters and opponents of a proposed $30-minimum wage for New York City are preparing for a battle a week after the measure was introduced in the City Council. ...

Some employers have proactively embraced higher wages for what they say are business reasons.

Aaron Seyedian, owner of Well-Paid Maids, a cleaning company that operates across the country, said its employees in New York were paid $27 an hour and received 24 paid days off each year.

Seyedian said his pay structure ensured turnover at his firm is 25%...

WNYC, Brian Lehrer Show, March 13, 2026

New York City Council member Sandy Nurse talks about her proposal for legislation that would increase New York City's minimum wage from the current $17 per hour to $30 per hour by 2030.

Councilmember Sandy Nurse: ... It's been a benefit to businesses and a lot of the sectors here in New York City when they have raised the wage. We actually have a small business owner in our coalition. He runs an organization called [Well-Paid Maids], and he actually came and advocated at our press conference recently...

By Chao Deng and Kate King
Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2026

... A bill introduced this week in the City Council would ... take the current minimum hourly wage from $17 to $30 by 2030 for large businesses; businesses that employ fewer than 500 people would hit the $30 mark by 2032. ...

Many businesses already pay well above $17-an-hour minimum wage to compete for employees. ...

Aaron Seyedian owns a cleaning business that starts its maids at $27 an hour in New York City. He said a phased increase to $30 is fair...

By Mack Rosenberg
1010 WINS News, March 11, 2026

New York City could have a nation-leading $30 an hour minimum wage. The city council is now considering the bill that would nearly double the current $17 an hour rate and supporters and opponents are hashing it out. Aaron Seyedian pays his workers at Well-Paid Maids $27 an hour plus benefits. "Fair wages don't limit business growth. They enable it. We don't have trouble hiring and retaining workers like many low-wage businesses do." ... 

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By Mack Rosenberg
1010 WINS News, March 11, 2026

Worker morale and productivity would go up. That's the argument from supporters like Aaron Seyedian who runs Well-Paid Maids and pays his workers $27 an hour plus benefits. "Why do some businesses struggle with constant turnover? Why is consumer spending weak? Too many people are not getting paid enough to live on." ...

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By Nicole Alarcon
PIX11 TV and Yahoo News, March 10, 2026

New York City officials are pushing to raise the minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030, according to a new campaign launched at City Hall on Tuesday.

Council Member Sandy Nurse introduced the “$30 for Our City” legislation alongside community groups, small business owners and other elected officials. Supporters said the proposal aims to address the growing gap between wages and the cost of living in the city. ...

City officials, workers, and leaders from ALIGN: The Alliance for a Greater New York...

By Jim Nintzel
Tucson Sentinel, January 8, 2026

Tucson’s lowest-paid workers started the year with raises. The minimum wage in Arizona rose by 45 cents, from $14.70 to $15.15 an hour. In Tucson, the minimum increased from $15 an hour to $15.45 an hour. Tucson’s minimum is higher than the state’s requirement because in 2021, voters approved the Tucson Minimum Wage Act ...

Pete Turner, who owns the Illegal Pete’s on University Boulevard west of the UA campus, said he’s happy to see the increase.

Turner, who started Illegal Pete’s in Colorado about three decades...