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By Will Bauer
Nebraska Public Media (PBS, NPR), Nov. 3, 2022

On Election Day, Nebraska voters will decide whether the state’s $9 per hour minimum wage should gradually be bumped to $15 or remain the same. ...

"I believe that small businesses can't afford not to pay more because it keeps us competitive,” said Mikaela Krueger, owner of Optika Curated Eyewear in Hastings.

She's also a member of Nebraska Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a coalition of nearly 300 small business owners from across the state who support the initiative. ...

“If people are making this wage, the long term benefits to your business outweigh the challenges that it creates,” she said.

For her, paying employees a higher wage, which is something she’s done from the start, is all about retaining them at a time when it’s hard to hire.

“It's so important that we make our employees feel like they are part of something bigger,” she said. ...

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