BFMW In the News

By Tod Perry
Upworthy, Sept 27, 2019

The federal minimum wage in the United States is a paltry $7.25 and it hasn't gone up since 2009.

"It's not acceptable," Holly Sklar, CEO of the advocacy group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, told CNBC. "The whole point of the minimum wage is to have it go up regularly. It shouldn't sit still every year when the cost of living is going up. The minimum wage is losing value." ...

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By Elizabeth G Dunn
Bloomberg, September 10, 2019

Michael Lastoria, chief executive officer of &Pizza, a Washington, D.C.-based chain with 36 locations up and down the East Coast, is tall, slim, and serene, with a full beard and brown hair that falls past his shoulders. ...

By Andrew Bloomenthal
Investopedia, Updated Aug 4, 2019

... Since 2009, the federal minimum wage has been $7.25, or $15,080 a year. Many economists believe this is woefully inadequate and unjust. ...  Groups like Small Business Majority, Main Street Alliance and Business for a Fair Minimum Wage also support a higher wage, which they believe will inspire employee loyalty and boost workplace morale, which leads to more satisfied customers and an increase in consumer spending.

The Real Issue: Who Can Survive on Today's Minimum Wage?

By Mike Bebernes, Editor, Yahoo News 360
Yahoo News, July 29, 2019

What's happening: Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed a bill to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by October 2025. The proposal would more than double the current national minimum wage of $7.25. That rate hasn’t increased since 2009 — it’s the longest period without a raise since the minimum wage policy was established in 1938. ...

The benefits would be seen across the U.S. economy.

Op-Ed By Ashraf Hijaz, Owner, Beauty & Beyond
... Lawmakers aren’t doing businesses any favors by keeping the [federal] minimum wage at $7.25 and keeping more money out of the hands of our customers. ...

By Seth Sandronsky
MultiBriefs, July 19, 2019

On July 18, the majority-Democratic House of Representatives passed the Raise the Wage Act to gradually increase the federal minimum wage, now at $7.25 and unchanged since 2009, to $15 in 2025. Some Republican House members did cross party lines to vote to increase the federal minimum wage. ...

Yet, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage supports increasing the federal minimum wage. One member of this coalition is Margot Dorfman, CEO of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

By Lisa Jennings
Supermarket News, July 18, 2019

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Raise the Wage Act that would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025. ...

By Lisa Jennings
Nation's Restaurant News, July 18, 2019

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Raise the Wage Act that would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025. ...

By Joanna Fantozzi
Restaurant Hospitality, July 12, 2019

... “What motivates our employers all over the country is that it’s bad for business when working people can’t afford the basics,” Alissa Barron-Menza, vice president of business advocacy group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, said.

By Melaina Juntti
Supermarket News, July 10, 2019

Nobody’s going to get rich working at a natural products store. ... But at the same time, the cost of living keeps climbing and your staff have bills to pay and families to raise. For many of these employees starting at the federal or state minimum wage — or close to it — just won’t cut it. To make things work they will require at least a living wage.

Op-Ed By Michael Lastoria, Co-founder and CEO, &pizza
This month, workers earning the minimum wage in Washington, D.C. got a 75-cent increase to their hourly wage, going from $13.25 to $14, and they’ll get to $15 next year. It’s an increase that’s long overdue. I say that as a business owner....

Op-Ed By Holly Sklar, CEO, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage
There are a lot of records that would be great to break. This isn’t one of them: June 16 marks the longest period in history without an increase since the federal minimum wage was established in 1938. ...

By Eillie Anzilotti
Fast Company, June 17, 2019

Nine years, 10 months, three weeks, and three days. That’s exactly how long, as of June 16, it’s been since the federal minimum wage last budged. It’s a new record for the amount of time the minimum wage has been stagnant, edging out the last dry spell, which lasted from September 1997 to July 2007.

Op-Ed By Chris Lu, Former Dep Labor Secretary
... I met with owners of both large and small businesses who explained that higher wages improve employee recruitment and retention, productivity and customer service. ...

By Dave Jamieson
HuffPost, June 16, 2019

The more things change, the more the minimum wage stays the same. At $7.25 per hour, to be exact. ...

Groups calling for a higher wage floor said Congress just earned an embarrassing distinction. Business for a Fair Minimum Wage called it a “terrible milestone,” saying “lawmakers need to listen and act now.” ...

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