By Rachel Siegel
Washington Post, September 25, 2017
... Business owners who support a $15 minimum wage include Michael Lastoria, founder of &pizza, which has locations in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia as well as the District, whose city council voted last year to require a $15-an-hour minimum wage by 2020.
Lastoria said higher wages help connect people to their employers and, by reducing turnover, also reduce training costs.
The company currently pays its D.C. employees $13 to $15 an hour. Workers at the Montgomery County stores — in Bethesda, North Bethesda, Gaithersburg and Germantown — are paid $12.25 to $14.
“We’ve kicked this can as far down the road as we can,” Lastoria said. “You just can’t live off the wages that the government mandates you to pay.” ...