By Betsy Price
Delaware Live, March 17, 2021
It was a tale of two minimum wage hikes Wednesday during a hearing on a bill that would raise Delaware’s to $15 an hour by 2025.
Those in favor of the bill said raising it from $9.25 an hour would raise tens of thousands of Delawareans out of poverty, including a large number of women and minorities; help businesses thrive because higher wages means less turnover; and prevent workers from taking jobs in nearby states where minimum already is above Delaware’s. ...
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Alissa Barron Menza, vice president of Businesses for a Fair Minimum Wage, said raising minimum wage makes good business sense because it sets a wage floor, and also because employees spend their money in the community.
Margot Dorfman, CEO of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., said raising minimum wage isn’t a fight between business and workers but good for both. She also said the typical low wage worker is an adult woman who is a waitress at Applebee’s, cashier at Walmart or health aide working with older people.
Courtney Sunborn, owner of Ecolistic Cleaning in Lewes, said she pays $14.50 an hour, which helps her keep good employees. Raising minimum wage will help other businesses do that, too. ...