Op-Ed By Michael Lastoria – Co-founder and CEO, &pizza
Washington Business Journal, Oct 26, 2017
It’s a simple, but critical concept: Take care of your people and your business will thrive for it.
And it’s a concept that’s often missed.
It’s the concept on which I built &pizza, a group of fast-casual pizza shops that has grown largely, if not entirely, on the shoulders of our employees — our Tribe. &pizza now includes four locations in Montgomery County, in addition to 22 others (and growing) in Maryland, D.C. and three other states. We are a family of over 500. And it is because of the respect that we have shown to our Tribe by paying them a livable wage that we’ve been able to thrive.
It’s that concept, and my gratitude to our own &pizza Tribe, which drives me to continue my fight for a living wage.
And it’s that concept that demands I support legislation to raise Montgomery County’s minimum wage to $15 by 2020. No youth minimum wage or business carve-outs that could water down the legislation’s impact. No loopholes. A simple, straightforward mandate that supports our people and with it, our communities and our businesses.
Lest you think this is a moralist’s call to action, let me also outline, in no uncertain terms, the benefits of this legislation for businesses and the local and nationwide economy.
I call it trickle-up economics. And it, too, is a simple concept. ...
Copyright 2017 Michael Lastoria