BFMW In the News

By Rachel Ravina
The Times Herald, Jan 28, 2022. Also in The Reporter, Mainline Times&Suburban

Gov. Tom Wolf visited Montgomery County on Thursday to discuss a topic he’s talked about time and time again: the state’s minimum wage. ... Along with Wolf, several Democratic Pennsylvania lawmakers were present Thursday afternoon at the Willow Grove-based eatery in voicing support to raise the minimum wage. ...

By Damon C. Williams
Bucks County Courier Times, Jan 27, 2022. Also in Yahoo News, The Intelligencer

Gov. Tom Wolf and Democratic leadership want workers in Pennsylvania to have a bigger slice of the pie. That was Wolf's message, when he, House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton and State Sen. Art Haywood stopped at &Pizza in Willow Grove Park mall on Thursday to once again press the state legislature to raise the minimum wage. ... Wolf said nearly 25 percent of workers in Pennsylvania, or 1.5 million Pennsylvanians, would get a boost in pay at $15 per hour. ...

Kelly Maguire, general manager of &Pizza, said she has witnessed "firsthand what &Pizza’s wages and benefits" mean for staff. They pay workers $15 an hour. 

By John Campisi
Patch, Jan 27, 2022

Gov. Tom Wolf made a stop in Montgomery County Thursday to call for a raise in the state's minimum wage, saying that it is disheartening that Pennsylvania hasn't raised its minimum wage in 15 years. Wolf was joined by state and local officials during his stop at [&pizza] ...

Also speaking at the event was Kelly Maguire, the store manager at the & Pizza Willow Grove location.

"Fair pay is absolutely essential to & Pizza's business model," she said. "All of our work counts for nothing if our people cannot live on the wages we pay them."

Maguire said the reality is that "too many Pennsylvanians can't make ends meet." ...

By Katie Johnston
Boston Globe, Jan 8, 2022

As Omicron whips through the workforce, caregiving agencies are turning away new patients. Restaurants are shutting down. Construction jobs are being delayed. Retailers, including Macy’s, are limiting hours. ... In Massachusetts, 12,213 public school staff members — nearly 9 percent — tested positive over the two-week period ending Wednesday. ...

NPR Morning Edition, Jan 7, 2022

Dozens of states are raising the minimum wage. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Gina Schafer, owner of A Few Cool Hardware Stores, with 13 Ace Hardware stores in DC, Maryland and Virginia.

LISTEN

By Camille Squires
Quartz, Jan 4, 2022

Minimum-wage workers across the US are getting a pay bump in 2022. Higher minimum wage laws took effect across 21 states and 35 cities in the US on Jan. 1. It’s the largest simultaneous increase of sub-national minimum wage policy in US history, according to the National Employment Law Project. ...

By Melissa Angell
Inc, Jan 3, 2022

A coalition of business owners is sweet on the minimum wage increases that kicked off the new year, since they believe the wage hikes can boost economic recovery. 

More than 20 states increased their minimum wage as the year began and an additional four states, plus the nation's capital, will see minimum wage raises later in the year, according to Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. The organization is a network of [many] more than 1,000 employers and business organizations that favors a federal minimum wage increase--thinking that runs counter to conventional economic arguments.

By Jim Gaines
Dayton Daily News, Jan 3, 2022. Also Yahoo News, Springfield News Sun, more.

Ohio’s minimum wage jumped 50 cents on Jan. 1, rising to $9.30 an hour. That’s higher than all but one adjacent state. ... Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2006 to annually increase the minimum wage in line with inflation. ...

Twenty-one states will raised their minimum wage Jan. 1, and another four will do so later this year, according to Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a group of business owners and managers that advocates a $15-per-hour minimum wage, saying it will be good for customers and the economy in general and therefore good for business.

By Ben Paviour
VPM/NPR, Jan 3, 2022

Business groups say they’re looking forward to what some say will be a warmer reception in Richmond after Republican gains in the November election. Lobbyists for some groups are looking to advance an agenda of tax cuts as well as rolling back some policies championed by Democrats in recent years, including statewide COVID safety regulations and further minimum wage increases. ...

By Jose Espinoza
El Sol Latino, Dec 31, 2021

En New Jersey el comienzo del nuevo año estuvo acompañado con un aumento del salario mínimo que intenta paliar el impacto de la actual tendencia inflacionaria. El incremento de 13 dólares la hora entrará en vigencia el sábado 1 de enero y forma parte de un plan de cinco años firmado por el gobernador Phil Murphy hace dos años para llevar el salario mínimo a 15 dólares en 2024. ...

By Dominick Reuter and Madison Hoff
Business Insider, Dec 30, 2021. Also MSN Money, more

New Year's Day will bring a raise for minimum wage workers in 21 states and 35 cities and counties. ...

"When the minimum wage is too low it hurts workers who can't afford the basics and it hurts businesses that count on customers with money to spend," Holly Sklar, the CEO of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, said in a statement. "As the federal minimum wage remains stuck at an inexcusable $7.25 an hour, state increases are vital for strengthening our recovery." ...

Cheddar News, Dec 30, 2021

Mike Draper, Founder and Owner of Raygun, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses how increases to the minimum wage in several states next year will help his company and explains why he advocates for it nationally.

WATCH VIDEO

By Clyde Hughes
UPI (United Press International), Dec 29, 2021

The minimum wage for many California workers will rise to $15 per hour on Jan. 1, more than twice the federal minimum. ...

Some business owners said that they welcomed the change because it benefited their employees.

"For too long, the restaurant industry has put employees last," said Karter Louis, CEO of Soul Pizza in Oakland, according to Capitol Weekly. "A low-wage model that has proven short-sighted and unsustainable." ...

Read more

By Tyler Arnold
The Center Square, Dec 28, 2021

Virginia’s minimum wage will increase to $11 per hour in less than a week, which is getting some mixed reactions from members of the commonwealth’s business community. ...

One organization called Business for a Fair Minimum Wage is embracing the higher wage. The group’s CEO, Holly Sklar, released a statement in which she said low minimum wages hurt workers who can’t afford basics and hurt businesses that count on people having money to spend. Michael Lastoria, the CEO of &pizza and member of the group, said higher wages show workers they are valued.

By Sarah Gamard
Delaware News Journal / Delaware Online, Dec 28, 2021. Also Yahoo News, Delmarva Now.

Delaware's minimum wage will increase from $9.25 to $10.50 per hour starting in January. In June, lawmakers passed a bill to raise the minimum wage by more than $1 each year until it reaches $15 an hour by 2025. ...

Business owners have had mixed reactions in Delaware. Some support a $15 minimum wage, arguing that it increases consumer spending when the economy needs a post-pandemic boost, on top of improving worker morale and customer service. ...

Kristen Deptula, owner of the Canalside Inn in Rehoboth Beach, pays her employees $15 an hour or more depending on their experience.