By Frank Knapp Jr.
Work in Progress Blog, US Department of Labor, Oct 15, 2014. Also in National Law Review, Oct 20, 2014

The biggest problem facing small businesses is the lack of demand for their goods and services. If the Great Recession is technically over and Wall Street is booming, why haven’t small businesses seen a real increase in consumer demand? There’s a simple answer: consumers who are or could be shopping on Main Street don’t have the buying power they used to have.

In my state, per capita income has fallen by nearly...

By Kate Rogers
CNBC, October 7, 2014

... Four states have proposals on their ballots to raise the minimum wage beyond the federal, hourly rate of $7.25—Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. Notice a trend? All four are red states, and voter-approved wage gains in those predominantly Republican states could bolster the push for higher living wages ...

While minimum wage often is perceived as a liberal issue, there's support for the cause across party lines nationwide, said Holly Sklar, director of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a national group.

"Among the American public generally...

By Kate Rogers, CNBC
Huffington Post, October 7, 2014

... Four states have proposals on their ballots to raise the minimum wage beyond the federal, hourly rate of $7.25—Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. Notice a trend? All four are red states, and voter-approved wage gains in those predominantly Republican states could bolster the push for higher living wages ...

While minimum wage often is perceived as a liberal issue, there's support for the cause across party lines nationwide, said Holly Sklar, director of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a national group.

"Among the American...

By Lew Prince
White House Blog, October 6, 2014

My life is a tribute to the American Dream. My business partner and I started with 300 record albums and a $20 booth at the local farmers market in 1979. Today, Vintage Vinyl is the largest independent music store in the Midwest. We stage 150 in-store concerts a year and are known internationally for recorded music in all forms.

Read more at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/10/06/american-dream-needs-fair-minimum-wage

By Andrew Yarrow
Oxfam America, Politics of Poverty Blog, Oct 2, 2014

US businesses are in. The American public is in. So what’s next on the minimum wage, Congress?

By Kevin James Shay
Gazette, Maryland, September 30, 2014

... Under a law passed by the [Montgomery] County Council late last year, the minimum wage for most employers with at least two workers increases from $7.25 per hour to $8.40 on Wednesday. It will rise incrementally each October until reaching $11.50 in October 2017. That’s larger than the state hike, which is slated to increase to $8 per hour Jan. 1 and rise more slowly to $10.10 by mid-2018.

“I don’t anticipate much impact, especially at the beginning,” said Meaghan Murphy, co-owner of Takoma Park café...

By Alan Pyke
Think Progress, Sept 25, 2014

Six in 10 hiring managers think the minimum wage should be higher than it is, according to a new survey from CareerBuilder. Just 8 percent of the 2,000 human resources officers interviewed for the poll said the current $7.25 hourly minimum wage set by federal law is fair. Nearly a third said it should be between $8 and $9, and 55 percent said it should be $10 or higher. About 9 percent said there should be no minimum wage.

Most respondents “say a higher minimum wage helps the...

By Ashley Boncimino
GSA Business, September 19, 2014

The S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce announced its endorsement of a $10.10 federal minimum wage, a nearly 40% increase from the current $7.25 per hour. The organization’s stance would increase the minimum wage over 2 1/2 years.

“Our state badly needs a boost in consumer demand, which is how Main Street businesses grow.” Small Business Chamber President and CEO Frank Knap Jr. said in a statement. “Per capita income has fallen by nearly 3% in the last five years. That’s the wrong direction. Wall Street might be...

By Jennifer Phillips
FOX Carolina, September 19, 2014

GREENVILLE, SC - There's macaroni and cheese, chicken and beans on the menu at Tommy's Country Ham House in Greenville. However, on Thursday, diners came for the food and a taste of politics. ... Diners wanted the scoop on issues like immigration, the economy and minimum wage.

On Thursday, members with the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce said they support a federal minimum wage increase from $7.25 to $10.10.

"I think people are having a hard time taking care of a household of bills on minimum wage,"...

By Frank Knapp
September 19, 2014

The expected protestations came in from other business organizations as I expected from my announcement yesterday of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber’s support of at $10.10 minimum wage ... The state chamber that represents the big businesses of the state, S.C. Chamber of Commerce (no relation), claims that increasing the minimum wage would have a “negative impact on business costs and job creation”. We should expect this sentiment from the big chamber which has to protect their big dues paying members like Walmart and Target. But are we really concerned...

Frank Knapp interviews Chris Sommers
U Need to Know, WGCV Talk Radio, Columbia, SC, September 18, 2014

http://yourlisten.com/fknapp/interview-chris-sommers

http://www.uneed2know.info/

By Bryce Covert
Think Progress, September 17, 2014

When you’re hungry, there are many stickers in restaurant windows that may help guide your decision over where to eat: a Zagat rating, a “People love us on Yelp” decal, or even a “1% for the planet” decal. Now you can add another sticker to guide you: one showing that the business supports a higher federal minimum wage.

Business For a Fair Minimum Wage, a coalition of businesses and business groups that support raising the wage to $10.10 an hour, has launched new decals that members can...

In survey, some businesses say price hikes likely if voters OK minimum wage boost

By Martha Stoddard
Omaha World-Herald Bureau, September 16, 2014

LINCOLN — With election day only seven weeks away, the battle of studies and statistics over a proposed minimum wage increase is heating up.

A survey released Monday concluded that some Nebraska service and retail businesses would likely cope with such an increase by raising prices or cutting employee hours. The survey results were released by the Employment Policies Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank with ties to the restaurant industry. ...

But State...

St. Louis Post Dispatch Editorial, Sept 8, 2014. Also in the Missourian, Sept 9, 2014

With the nation’s minimum wage stuck at $7.25 an hour, it is no surprise that a recent Pew Research study of economic optimism shows that 56 percent of Americans say they are falling behind financially even in the midst of an economic recovery. ...

Holly Sklar, CEO of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, wrote on these pages recently that small-business owners want an increase in the minimum wage because they depend on consumer spending, which is heavily dependent on...