By Kate Rogers
CNBC, Nov 4, 2016
Workers in four states may be getting a raise post-Election Day, with initiatives to raise the minimum wage heading to a vote. Arizona, Colorado and Maine all have ballot measures to hike local wages to $12 an hour, while Washington State voters will consider [$13.50] an hour. All increases are to be phased in gradually by the year 2020. ...
In Boulder, Colorado, Judy Amabile, owner of Product Architects, Inc., said she's supporting the ballot initiative to hike wages to $12 an hour by 2020 from the state's current rate of $8.31. Although she already pays workers above the minimum, starting at $12 an hour, Amabile says it's simply the right thing to do.
"We see that as a fundamental fairness issue," she says. "If you are going to occupy someone's time for 40 hours a week, you ought to provide them with a wage that is sufficient for them to at least get by, put a roof over their head and put food on their table."
When she began paying her entry level workers more several years ago, Amabile expected labor costs to increase at the business, which manufactures water bottles. But costs per worker went down, while retention went up. People were working harder and calling out sick less. ...
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