By Kim Daley and Scott Wycoff, reporting
WBAL News Radio, Nov 1, 2021

Some council members in Howard County are introducing legislation Monday night to raise the minimum wage to make it the highest in the state.

The bill would eventually raise the minimum wage in Howard County to $16 per hour over the next several years. ...

Council members Jones and Rigby are officially introducing the legislation at the Howard County Council meeting at 7 p.m. They say living in Howard County is unaffordable for those making the current minimum wage and many families...

By Ben Casselman
New York Times, Oct. 19, 2021, Updated Nov. 3, 2021

Fall was meant to mark the beginning of the end of the labor shortage that has held back the nation’s economic recovery. ...

Some businesses are already changing how they operate. When Karter Louis opened his latest restaurant this year, he abandoned the industry-standard approach to staffing, with kitchen workers earning low wages and waiters relying on tips.

NorthcentralPA.com, Oct 18, 2021

Willow Grove, Pa. -- Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jennifer Berrier was joined by Senator Art Haywood, Representative Ben Sanchez, the CEO/founder of &pizza and its employees in Willow Grove to urge for an increase in what they call "Pennsylvania's archaic minimum wage" to help workers earn a more fair, livable wage in today's economy. ...

&pizza said it pays its workers a livable hourly salary in addition to tips. ...

Secretary Berrier toured &pizza, a fast casual pizza restaurant chain, and met many of its employees. The restaurant...

By Hadas Kuznits
KYW News Radio (PA), Oct 14, 2021

Kelly Maguire, shop lead at &pizza restaurant in Willow Grove, said being paid $15 an hour has changed her life for the better. ...

“Just being able to come into work — and that’s all you have to worry about, is just working and getting that job done instead of all the 50 other things that are at home,” she said.

Jennifer Berrier, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, hopes other businesses follow suit.

She visited the restaurant Thursday, calling for the state’s minimum...

CBS3, Oct 14, 2021

Governor Tom Wolf’s administration is joining forces with a pizza chain owner in the call for raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage. Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Labor and Industry visited &pizza in Willow Grove on Thursday.

Michael Lastoria, who owns &pizza, said an increased wage is critical to keeping people in the food service industry – and keeping them happy.

Florida Channel, Capitol Update, Oct 3, 2021

... Rick Nesbit, President of Alta Systems: "Happy employees make happy customers. ... We're still extremely competitive in the marketplace. With engaged, loyal, happy employees your efficiencies go through the roof." ...

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By Joe Henderson
Florida Politics, Oct 3, 2021

... It’s a shame it took a constitutional amendment to make this happen, but Florida built its economy on the backs of low-paid workers who made their employers rich. It’s past time to even the scales.

Some owners get it, though.

Bay News 9 reported on the co-owner of the Disco Dolls, a clothing store, hair salon, and art gallery based in Tampa.

Leigh Anne Balzekas said her store has six full-time employees, all of whom make $15 an hour.

“To train someone and keep talented employees —...

Yahoo Finance, Sep 30, 2021

Jared Meyers, Owner of Legacy Vacation Resorts & Tony’s Bar & Grill, joins Yahoo Finance to discuss the minimum wage increase in Florida, outlook on price inflations, and supply chain bottlenecks.

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Video Transcript

... Business owner Jared Meyers owns Legacy Vacation Resorts and Tony's Bar & Grill in Florida. He joins us now to talk about the impact on his business. We're also joined by Yahoo Finance's Aarthi Swaminathan-- so good to have you both here. Jared, what has the sentiment on the ground there been like among...

By Mitch Perry
Spectrum Bay News 9, Sep 30, 2021

Florida’s minimum wage increased Thursday from $8.65 an hour to $10 – the first step towards an eventual $15 an hour minimum wage in 2026. The increase comes via a constitutional amendment passed by more than 61 percent of Floridians in 2020.

Business groups such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association opposed the measure, but there are small businesses owners who support the increase.

“It’s better for our community to have more money in their pockets,” says Leigh Anne...

By Anne Geggis
Florida Politics, Sep 30, 2021

Minimum wage workers are getting a 15% raise Thursday when Amendment 2 begins taking effect. ...

Richard Nesbit, the owner of Alta Systems in Gainesville, a communications business, said he believes that fairly paid workers make better workers.

“As a company already paying a $15 minimum wage, we know it’s important our employees are able to focus on work without being constantly stressed about making ends meet,” he told Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a network of businesses advocating for higher pay. “Raising Florida’s...

By Issac Morgan
Florida Phoenix, Sep 29, 2021

Workers in Florida earning minimum wage will see a significant bump in pay on Thursday – from $8.65 to $10 an hour – the first phase of a wage hike connected to a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2020. ...

Danielle Ferrari is the owner of a clothing store called Valhalla Resale in Tampa. As a small business owner, Ferrari told the Florida Phoenix in a phone conversation that the wage increase will “stimulate our community.”

“As a small business owner, I am super excited,” she...

By Cooper Levey-Baker
Sarasota Magazine, Sep 29, 2021

Hundreds of thousands of minimum wage workers in Florida—more than 600,000 of them, in fact—will see a boost in their paychecks starting Thursday, Sept. 30, when the first in a series of increases to the state’s minimum wage takes effect. ...

The increase is thanks to the approval of Amendment 2 by 60.8 percent of Florida voters in last fall’s general election. The amendment was championed by low-wage workers, unions, labor activists, business owners and the influential attorney John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan.

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By McKenna Schueler
Tampa Bay Creative Loafing, Sep 28, 2021

After becoming the first state in the South to get on track toward a $15 minimum wage last year, Florida’s gearing up for its biggest minimum wage increase in over a decade.

Effective Sept. 30, Florida’s minimum wage will rise from its current $8.65 per hour to $10 an hour, or $6.98 plus tips for tipped employees. ... According to the nonpartisan Florida Policy Institute, an estimated 646,000 working Floridians will see their wages rise starting Thursday. By 2026, that number is expected to reach 2.5 million...

By Zahra Tayeb
Business Insider, Sep 18, 2021

A dire labor shortage has left many business owners across the US struggling to find workers. But not the CEO of Bluestone Lane, a cafe chain with branches across the country, who has made hundreds of hires in the last eight months. 

Nick Stone told Insider that he hasn't experienced many issues bringing back team members and hiring new ones for the chain's 51 locations. He said he recruited 400 new employees since February 2021. ...

Stone pays his employees $15 an hour nationally and $22 an hour to...

By Mike Winikoff
Hometown News, Sep 16, 2021

STATEWIDE - Florida’s hourly minimum wage for non-tipped employees will increase from $8.65 to $10 on Sept. 30. In 2020, Florida voters passed Amendment 2 with 61% of the vote. Amendment 2 gradually increases the state minimum wage to $15 in 2026. ...

Chairman Emeritus Roger Smith of the American Income Life Insurance Company... is a Treasure Coast businessperson who fully supports the increase, and not only for the workers themselves. Mr. Smith thinks raising the minimum wage will benefit businesses and the economy.

Hometown News was referred to...