Donna Goodison
Boston Herald, December 24, 2016
The last of three $1-per-year increases in the Massachusetts minimum hourly wage takes effect Jan. 1, and this year’s rate hike to $11 could cut into profitability for some small-business retailers, according to the state’s retail trade group. ... But Michael Kanter, co-founder of 42-year-old Cambridge Naturals health store, is among the small retailers who supports the minimum wage increases and a push to raise the rate to $15.
Raising the rate is good for business, according to Kanter, who increased his workers’ starting hourly wage to $15 this week.
“If our staff gets paid well, then they’re happy, more relaxed and more content in their lives and jobs, and they’re likely to stay longer,” said Kanter, a member of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. “We’re a business that needs to have staff that has a great deal of knowledge and therefore will do awesome [customer] service.” ...