A national network of business owners and executives who
believe a fair minimum wage makes good business sense
Business for a Fair Minimum Wage is a national network of business owners and executives who believe a fair minimum wage makes good business sense
By Cris Barrish
WHYY (NPR), June 18, 2021
Three years ago, Delaware lawmakers argued until morning on the final day of the General Assembly session before grudgingly approving an two-step increase in the minimum wage to $9.25. What a difference three years makes. ...
Alissa Barron-Menza of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage says the increases are overdue in Delaware.
By Jacob Owens
Delaware Business Times, June 18, 2021
DOVER – The push to increase Delaware’s hourly minimum wage to $15 by 2025 cleared the state House of Representatives on Thursday and now heads to Gov. John Carney for his consideration. ...
Some Delaware small businesses have come out in support of the bill.
Canalside Inn owner Kristen Deptula said she has paid her employees $15 an hour since buying the Rehoboth Beach hotel in 2019.
Op-Ed By Kristen Deptula, Owner, Canalside Inn
... Raising Delaware’s minimum wage to $15 will promote a more robust economic recovery from the pandemic for both working people and businesses. ....
By Matt Bittle
Delaware State News, June 17, 2021
DOVER — Legislation to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 is now before Gov. John Carney. ... Senate Bill 15 would start by increasing the wage to $10.50 in 2022, followed by $11.75 in 2023 and $13.25 in 2024 before hitting $15 in 2025. ...
Op-Ed By Ryan Peters, Owner, RISE Fitness + Adventure
... We have always paid above the minimum wage because we know that fair pay matters a lot in the success of our business and the lives of our employees. ....
By DJ McAneny
WDEL News Radio, June 17, 2021
"It all just makes a difference in the wellbeing of people, and that changes who they are and what they can be for you," said Sarah Titus, co-owner of Wilmington's The Comic Book Shop. "I don't know. People are worth it."
Slated to appear before the state House Thursday, June 17, 2021, is Senate Bill 15, and act to gradually increase Delaware's minimum wage to $15 by 2025. ...
By Eli Rosenberg
Washington Post, June 10, 2021
... Across the country, businesses in sectors such as food service and manufacturing that are trying to staff up have been reporting an obstacle to their success — a scarcity of workers interested in applying for low-wage positions. ...
The experience of 12 business operators interviewed by The Washington Post who raised their minimum wage in the last year points to another element of the equation: the central role that pay — specifically a $15-an-hour minimum starting wage — plays in attracting workers right now. ...
By Michael Sainato
The Guardian, June 9, 2021
Some employers are upending the industry standards by paying their employees better and offering stronger benefits
By Linh Ta
Axios, June 7, 2021
All eyes will be on Iowa and other Republican-led states these next few months to see if an early exit from federal unemployment benefits truly nudges people back to work. ...
... Workers are also now in a position where they feel more empowered to choose jobs they genuinely like, said Mike Draper, owner of Raygun.
By Paul Wiseman
Associated Press (AP), June 7, 2021
The U.S. economy is sparking confusion and whiplash almost as fast as it’s adding jobs. ...
Economists point mainly to what they call a short-term mismatch: Companies are posting job openings faster than applicants can respond. After all, many Americans are contending with considerable tumult at home — health issues related to COVID-19, child-care problems with schools slow to reopen, career uncertainty after many jobs permanently vanished over the past 15 months. ...
By Ron Southwick
Penn Live/Patriot News, May 31, 2021. Also Marietta Journal
...At a news conference in Lancaster last week, Wolf repeated a now-familiar pitch to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage, which has remained at $7.25 per hour for a decade. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage mirrors the federal government. ...
MyChesCo, May 28, 2021
...The governor was joined for a press conference in Lancaster 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. ...
By William O'Boyle
Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, May 27, 2021. Also Yahoo, Marietta Journal, others
On Wednesday, Wolf was joined by legislators, business owners and advocates to call on the General Assembly to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $12 an hour with a path to $15.
The governor was joined for a press conference in Lancaster 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.
By Candy Woodall and J.D. Prose
USA Today Network's Pennsylvania State Capital Bureau, May 27, 2021. Also GoErie, others
Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday was joined by business owners and Democratic lawmakers in his latest push for a higher minimum wage in Pennsylvania. ...
Peter Barber, CEO and co-owner of Two Dudes Painting Company in Lancaster, said he pays a starting wage $14 an hour. After they've worked there for 90 days, he pays them $15 an hour. His company has about 65 employees.
By Gillian McGoldrick
LNP / LancasterOnline, May 26, 2021
Gov. Tom Wolf visited Lancaster city Wednesday morning to repeat his longstanding call to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage....
Peter Barber, the president and CEO of Two Dudes Painting Co., said providing “livable wages” to his workers is a crucial part of recruitment and retention, and as a result the company is not struggling to fill open positions.