By Justin Udo
KYW Newsradio, Philadelphia, July 24, 2022
Sunday marks the 13th year since the last federal minimum wage increase, to $7.25 an hour. Since then multiple states, including New Jersey, have raised minimum wage rates to $13 dollars an hour or higher. However, twenty states, including Pennsylvania, have minimum hourly wages that are no higher than the current federal wage. ...
Some business owners in our region told KYW Newsradio they would like to see that rate go up, echoing calls nationwide for raising it to $15 an hour. ...
Scott Nash, founder and CEO of MOM's Organic Market, said $15 an hour is the minimum wage for his employees, and that's something he wants all companies to do.
"The best thing for my business is to put more money in the hands of the working class," he said, explaining that bumping up the minimum wage to $15 over the next few years would benefit business owners.
"The employees [are] people. If they're working for $7.25 an hour, they're not able to make ends meet and they're stressed, and that's going to show up in their work performance and their morale, and their dedication to us." ...
"It also increases the buying power of people in hourly paid jobs," said Amy Edelman, who has owned and operated Germantown Avenue's Night Kitchen Bakery and Cafe for decades. She pointed out just how slow hourly wages have changed over the years. ...
"It's poverty wages and it's not right. We're the richest country in the world and we should make sure all our citizens are taken care of." ...