By Wayne Heilman and Peter Marcus
Colorado Springs Gazette, December 28, 2016
Anna Johnson, a University of Colorado at Colorado Springs student working two jobs to help cover tuition and rent, will get a raise Sunday for both jobs. A higher minimum wage for workers across the state takes effect, the result of a voter-approved initiative to increase the wage annually until it reaches $12 an hour in 2020.
Amendment 70, which passed in November with 55 percent support, will increase the minimum wage Sunday by 12 percent to $9.30 per hour, with annual increases of 90 cents each Jan. 1 through 2020. The current minimum wage in Colorado is $8.31 per hour ...
Johnson, a junior studying elementary education, works part-time jobs paying $8.75 an hour at Color Me Mine, a paint-your-own pottery shop and $9.10 an hour at Motherhood Maternity, a clothing store. Both are in the Chapel Hills Mall. As of Sunday, she will earn $9.30 an hour at each job.
"It will be nice to help with school and pay bills off faster, such as my student loans and the rent on my apartment," said Johnson, who is from Rockford, Ill. ...
Some businesses expressed concerns that the increase would hurt business by raising costs. Other business owners, however, say a higher wage means more productivity.
"We find that if you start them off more than the minimum wage, you have less turnover, which saves me money as a business owner in the long run," said Richard Warner , owner of Bingo Burger, which has stores in Pueblo and Colorado Springs.
Bingo Burger pays starting employees about $10 per hour, though Warner said he might consider raising wages to compete with other businesses, especially as the minimum wage begins to gradually increase.
"It's a great first step," Warner added. "It means a lot to those minimum-wage workers. It's much more of a living wage. We're on our way." ...
Copyright 2016 Colorado Springs Gazette