By Joey Bunch
Colorado Politics, Colorado Springs Gazette, Dec. 23, 2016

Voters in 19 states, including Colorado, put some New Year’s cheer in the pockets of minimum-wage earners..., with pay bumps taking effect either Dec. 31 or Jan. 1. Colorado voters, by a 55-45 margin, raised the wage from $8.31 to $9.30 on Jan. 1, with  automatic increases to $10.20 in 2018, $11.10 in 2019 and $12 an hour in 2020. ...

The Colorado chapter of an advocacy group called Business for a Fair Minimum Wage continues to rally supporters, saying it just makes good business sense, citing...

By Allissa Kline
Buffalo Business First, Dec. 23, 2016

Minimum wage rates across New York are set to increase next week as part of the state’s multi-year phased wage hike. Starting Dec. 31, the minimum wage rate in most of New York state shifts from $9 per hour to $9.70 per hour. That doesn’t include fast-food workers in Upstate New York, who will make at least $10.75 per hour, or tipped workers, whose hourly rate of $7.50 remains unchanged.

The increases were set in motion in April when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to enact a statewide...

By Mitchell Hartman
Marketplace, December 23, 2016

Congress hasn’t raised the federal minimum wage — now $7.25-an-hour — since 2009.  But many states and localities have, and there will be new minimum wage hikes in lots of places around the country starting on Jan. 1. ...

I asked Constance Palaia, who owns the Motel Del Rogue in rural Grants Pass, Oregon, how she deals with her four housekeeping employees: "We've always paid over the minimum wage... It pays off. All of these people have been here for over two years." ...

Listen

By Adrian D. Garcia
Denverite, December 22, 2016

Minimum-wage workers in Colorado will get a voter-approved raise in January, but where their additional cents will come from still remains to be seen.

By Lisa Jennings
Nation's Restaurant News, Dec 21, 2016

The future of the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour remains uncertain as restaurant operators prepare to ring in the new year. At the state level, wage hikes are expected in 19 states on Jan.1, 2017, as well as in a number of local jurisdictions. ...

In some jurisdictions, the wage increase doesn’t go into effect until later in the year. In Chicago, the minimum wage of $10.50 per hour will increase to $11 per hour on July 1, 2017, and in Los Angeles, the...

By JD Allen
WSHU Public Radio Group, Dec 21, 2016

Nineteen states, including New York and Connecticut, are ringing in the New Year by raising their minimum wage.

Long Island’s minimum wage will increase to $10 an hour, New York City goes to $11 and the rest of state will start the year at $9.70... Connecticut’s minimum wage will rise to $10.10. ...

Holly Sklar, with Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, says it will boost consumer spending, and cut down on staff turnover, “which really costs a lot of money for a business in terms...

Convenience Store News, Dec 20, 2016

NATIONAL REPORT — The new year will usher in pay raises for workers in several cities and states.

In all, the minimum wage is set to increase in 21 states, at least 22 cities, four counties and one region, according to CNNMoney.com.

The majority of those increases will take place on Jan. 1. Wage hikes in Maryland, Oregon and Washington, D.C. go into effect in July. In addition, New York State will increase its minimum pay on Dec. 31, 2016. ...

However, as the report noted, not all...

By Jeanne Sahadi
CNN Money, December 19, 2016

Come the new year, millions of the lowest-wage workers across the country will get a raise. Some of those raises will be very minor -- a cost of living adjustment amounting to an extra nickel or dime an hour. But in several places the jump will be between $1 and $2 an hour.

Even that may not sound like a lot, but it can provide a full-time worker with another $40 to $80 a week. That money, in turn, can make it easier to pay for essential...

By Paul Ausick
24/7 Wall St., December 15, 2016

Given a chance to have their say, voters say “Yes” to raising the minimum wage. ... The federal minimum wage, set in 2009 and unchanged since, is $7.25. In 21 states, that remains the current minimum. In 29 other states (30 if we count the District of Columbia), minimum wage levels vary between $7.50 an hour (New Mexico) and a current high of $11.50 in D.C.

On November 8, voters in Arizona, Colorado and Maine approved annual increases that lift the minimum wage to $12 an hour...

By Jordan Larimore
Joplin Globe, Dec 11, 2016

...  Give Missourians a Raise — the same group that successfully campaigned for a ballot initiative raising the state's minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.50 per hour in 2006 — is considering multiple minimum wage proposals to try to bring before voters next year, said Lew Prince, the group's treasurer. That effort could include a petition drive. ...

The current minimum wage in Missouri is $7.65 per hour, but the 2006 measure that was passed also tied the wage to the Consumer Price Index, meaning it is evaluated...

By Michael Lastoria
US Department of Labor Blog, December 7, 2016

&pizza is a company that has been, and will continue to be, built on the shoulders of our employees. Fair pay is a vital ingredient to our company’s success, culture, and the wellbeing of all 490 members of what we call our “tribe.”

That is why we provide a starting wage significantly above the minimum.

On Nov. 8, ballot measures raising the minimum wage passed in Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington state. And earlier this year, we strongly supported the passage of Washington D.C.’s minimum...

By Perry Stein
Washington Post, December 2, 2016

Glen’s Garden Market had a minimum-wage predicament. In July, the District’s hourly minimum wage increased to $11.50 — the same amount the upscale market was already paying its entry-level workers at two locations. The purveyor of high-end groceries and prepared foods no longer had an edge against other retailers in attracting high-quality, entry-level employees.

So owner Danielle Vogel boosted hourly wages by another dollar, to $12.50. ...

In 2014, the District passed legislation to incrementally raise the minimum wage from $8.25 to its current $11.50. In June, D.C. lawmakers...

By Jared Bilski
CFO Daily News, Nov 30, 2016

A Republican president isn’t the only major change ushered in by the election. Several states will get a minimum wage bump as a result, too. With overwhelming approval, voters approved statewide minimum wage increases in four different states. ...

The election-based increases were also supported by businesses that believe these minimum wage bumps would ultimately have a positive long-term impact on their own bottom lines.

The push for a federal increase

States that aren’t impacted by minimum wage increases in the near future need to be aware...

By Justin Grey
Cox Media, Nov 22, 2016. Numerous papers and other outlets.

With only weeks left in office, President Barack Obama's administration has continued to advocate for a higher federal minimum wage. U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez on Monday pushed for a minimum wage increase at a pizza chain in Washington called &pizza. The restaurant has grown from one location four years ago to 19 locations today. It pays well above the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

"We're proof that paying people a healthy wage is not only the right thing to do...

By Ryan O. Ferguson
DC Inno, Nov 22, 2016

50 on Fire will bring together D.C.'s best and brightest to recognize the disruptors, luminaries and visionaries that are pushing our city forward. ... The 50 on Fire Lifestyle category might be the most fun one. From flowers to beer to clothing, these innovators are making D.C. a city of world-class food and drink, classic style and vibrant community. Check out this year's finalists:

Michael Lastoria - &pizza

&pizza has had quite a year. In addition to opening several new stores in the District, developing a cocktail program...