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NorthcentralPA.com, Oct 18, 2021

Willow Grove, Pa. -- Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jennifer Berrier was joined by Senator Art Haywood, Representative Ben Sanchez, the CEO/founder of &pizza and its employees in Willow Grove to urge for an increase in what they call "Pennsylvania's archaic minimum wage" to help workers earn a more fair, livable wage in today's economy. ...

&pizza said it pays its workers a livable hourly salary in addition to tips. ...

Secretary Berrier toured &pizza, a fast casual pizza restaurant chain, and met many of its employees. The restaurant, with more than 55 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia and Massachusetts, supports raising the minimum wage and credits paying a living wage to its hourly employees as an essential component to its  overall growth and success.

"Our focus has always been on providing quality jobs, and higher wages are the clearest way to say to our workforce, 'we value you!'" said Michael Lastoria, co-founder and CEO of &pizza.

"Raising Pennsylvania's minimum wage will be good for business. Higher wages lead to greater consumer spending and greater workforce productivity, things every company benefits from," Lastoria said. "&pizza has opened 16 new locations since the start of the pandemic, and received well over 100 applications for each. Our new locations are fully staffed, and we plan to open another 10 by the end of the year. All of our work counts for nothing if our people cannot live on the wages we pay them."

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