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By Zoë Read
WHYY, NPR, March 8, 2021

A coalition of business groups and politicians spoke Monday during a virtual event in favor of a $15 minimum wage in Delaware.

Legislation introduced by Sen. Jack Walsh would gradually increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. ... “Someone who puts in a hard day’s work deserves to earn enough to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. Frankly, they deserve what previous generations of low-wage earners have had — a living wage,” Walsh said during the event. ...

Some business leaders say raising the minimum wage could boost the economy because people will have more money to spend.

Courtney Sunborn from Businesses for Fair Minimum Wage said her business Ecolistic Cleaning has high morale because it pays workers livable wages.

“So for us, by paying livable wages, we’ve seen that it increases both employee commitment and reliability, but it also decreases turnover, and turnover has proven for many to be so expensive. And so for me, from that perspective, it makes incredible business sense. I do believe that low-wage businesses have a higher turnover and they don’t take into account the time and money that they could save if they were to raise their minimum wages,” she said.

“I do think it’s also shortsighted … not seeing that lower turnover brings increased morale and productivity and therefore happiness for customers.”

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