By WJET / WFXP / YourErie.com, May 26, 2021

Governor Wolf today called on the General Assembly to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $12 an hour, with a path to $15. ...

The governor was joined today by Rep. Patty Kim, prime sponsor of HB 345 to raise the minimum wage, and local business owners Peter Barber, President, CEO and Co-owner of Two Dudes Painting Company and Jennie Groff, CEO and Co-owner of Stroopies, Inc. ...

“We’ve been in business for almost 35 years, and fair pay has been central to our success,” said Peter...

By Craig Anderson
Delaware State News, May 19, 2021

With employees making a $15 hourly wage, there’s less staff turnover and retraining needed.

That’s according to Canalside Inn owner Kristen Deptula, who currently pays five workers what some want to see as Delaware’s minimum wage by 2025.

Also, the Rehoboth Beach business owner believes higher paid employees are more likely to spend money.

“They’re able to have a little flexibility with their budget and can go out and have some fun while putting money back into the economy,” she said on Tuesday.

“And they’re happier...

By Lisa Jennings, Holly Petre
Restaurant Hospitality, May 04, 2021

... #5. Virginia’s first minimum wage increase towards $12 an hour went into effect May 1

On May 1, the first in a series of wage increases voted on by the state legislature in 2020 went into effect for the state of Virginia. For the first time in 10 years, workers in Virginia saw the federally mandated $7.25 an hour minimum wage increase to $9.50 an hour. ...

“We advocated for raising Virginia’s minimum wage, which was long stuck at $7.25 an hour, and look forward to the economic boost from this increase,” said Alissa Barron-Menza, vice president of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage.

By J.D. Prose
USA Today Network, Pennsylvania State Capital Bureau, May 2, 2021

Attempts to push Congress and the Pennsylvania Legislature to raise the minimum wage have been made sporadically for years....

[Gov.] Wolf said raising the minimum wage would put more money into workers’ pockets, which would help businesses, and help reduce employee turnover for business owners. ...

According to the group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage... there are plenty of studies that refute claims that a higher minimum wage would lead to fewer jobs.

By Ned Oliver
Virginia Mercury, April 30, 2021

The first of three minimum wage increases approved by Virginia lawmakers will take effect Saturday, guaranteeing the state’s lowest paid workers an hourly rate of $9.50 an hour. ...

Gina Schaefer owns Old Town Ace Hardware in Alexandria and employs 250 people across stores in Virginia, D.C., and Maryland. A member of the group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, she said her lowest paid employees earn at least $15 an hour.

“For the past eight years, we have paid our folks in Virginia much higher than...

By Jackie DeFusco
WRIC ABC 8 News Richmond, Apr 30, 2021

Virginia’s first minimum wage increase in more than a decade takes effect on Saturday, May 1. The new rate will be $9.50 per hour. That’s up from $7.25, a baseline mandated by the federal government in 2009. ...

Liz Kincaid, who co-owns four restaurants in Richmond, supports the minimum wage increase. ...

Buz Grossberg, the owner of Buz and Ned’s Real Barbecue, agrees.

“It is incredibly difficult to think about living off of a minimum wage without having a second or a third job,” Grossberg said. “It’s...

By Mitchell Hartman
Marketplace, April 29, 2021

President Joe Biden has announced that the minimum wage for hundreds of thousands of federal contract workers will increase from $10.95 an hour to $15 an hour next year. This the president can do by executive order. But raising the federal minimum wage for all American workers requires legislation from Congress, which last raised the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour in 2009. ...

Mike Draper is the owner of Raygun, a Midwest clothing-and-home-goods retail chain with about 80 employees. It has a store and headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. “We [also]...

By Ben Paviour
VPM/NPR, April 29, 2021

Virginia is set to see its first minimum wage increase in over a decade on Saturday. ...

NFIB Virginia, a group representing small businesses, called the upcoming hike “devastating,” while another group, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, argued it would “help build a shared economic recovery.” ...

Read more

By Tyler Arnold
The Center Square, Apr 28, 2021

The first increase in Virginia’s incremental minimum wage hike will go into effect this Saturday, when the hourly minimum goes from $7.75 to $9.50. ...

The increase has received support from some businesses that already guarantee workers a $15 hourly wage. Alan Smith, a co-owner of Lamplighter Coffee Roasters in Richmond told The Center Square his business already sets a $15 base pay because he believes “everyone deserves to make a living wage.”

Setting a statewide standard will require other businesses to compete more evenly with...

By Melissa Steele
Cape Gazette, April 23, 2021

Corporate behemoth Amazon has waded into Delaware's minimum wage battle with a recent campaign supporting a $15 starting wage for all. Senate Bill 15, which would raise Delaware's minimum wage to $15 an hour for all workers, moved through committee April 21 and now awaits action in the House.

“Maintaining the status quo on Delaware’s minimum wage, which is one of the lowest in the mid-Atlantic region, isn’t just unfair to hourly workers, it’s also a missed opportunity to strengthen our economy,” said an Amazon spokesman when...

Ohio Call & Post, April 2021

According to Policy Matters Ohio, nearly 30% of Ohio's workforce - or 1.5 million people - would benefit from raising the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Ohio's current minimum wage is $8.80 an hour. ...

Many arguments against raising the wage to $15 have said it would hurt small businesses. However, Holly Sklar, chief executive of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, disputed that claim.

"Raising the minimum wage saves businesses money in lower turnover, reduced hiring and training costs, less product waste and lower...

By Dan Marticio
Lending Tree, April 16, 2021

... Pros of raising the minimum wage ...

IMPROVES EMPLOYEE RETENTION

Higher wages could help employers retain their workforce because employees have less incentive to seek higher-paying employment elsewhere. Reducing employee turnover could be a boon to a business’s bottom line.

“There are all sorts of cost savings and bottom-line benefits to slowing down turnover and being able to retain employees to the tune of thousands of dollars per employee per year,” said Alissa Barron-Menza, vice president of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a national network of business owners...

By Mary Schuermann Kuhlman
Public News Service - OH, April 14, 2021. Also WCSM Radio, Cleveland Scene, Cincinnati City Beat, others

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A new report makes the case that Ohio workers deserve a higher minimum wage. According to Policy Matters Ohio, nearly 30% of Ohio's workforce - or 1.5 million people - would benefit from raising the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Ohio's current minimum wage is 8.80 an hour. ...

Many arguments against raising the wage to $15 have said it would hurt small businesses. However, Holly Sklar, chief executive of Business for a...

Hannah Report
Hannah News Service, Columbus, OH, April 13, 2021

Policy Matters Ohio (PMO) released a report Tuesday on the potential benefits of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, with researcher Michael Shields saying it would add $6.1 billion into the state economy each year, benefit 1.56 million Ohioans and drive greater pay equity for women and minorities. ...

Holly Sklar, CEO of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, discussed how the increase would help companies as well.

“The minimum wage has become a poverty wage instead of an anti-poverty wage and that...

Op-Ed By Courtney Sunborn, Owner, Ecolistic Cleaning

As a longtime business owner, I applaud the Delaware Senate for voting to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. For the good of our economy, I hope the House follows suit. ...