BFMW In the News

Nevada Current: July brings higher minimum wage, but NV still lags behind AZ, CO, CA, OR, WA…

By Jeniffer Solis
Nevada Current, July 1, 2021

... Nevada businesses owner Paul Saginaw, co-owner of Saginaw’s Delicatessen in Las Vegas and a member of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, says he has not had trouble hiring, partly because of their $14 an hour starting pay.

“I think it makes good business sense,” Saginaw said. “It’s very short-sighted not to realize that.”

“Nevada’s 75-cents-a-year minimum wage increases benefit workers and businesses. Going higher than the scheduled $12 by 2024 minimum wage would be much better,” Saginaw said.

WTOP: Montgomery Co. officials celebrate minimum wage boost

By Kate Ryan
WTOP News, July 1, 2021

Political leaders in Montgomery County, Maryland, joined with civic and labor groups to celebrate the $15 an hour minimum wage law that’s taken effect as of July 1. ...

Scott Nash, CEO of the MOM’s Organic Market grocery chain, supported the push for a $15 minimum wage. His firm, which has 1,300 employees, is headquartered in Montgomery County. Nash explained that he’s been paying the $15 hourly rate and other grocers lost employees to his business.

CNBC: Delaware is expected to move to a $15 per hour minimum wage. What that could mean for the push to increase the national pay rate

By Lorie Konish
CNBC, June 24 2021

When Kristen Deptula and her husband bought the Canalside Inn in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, in October 2019, they had no idea the coming summer season at the shore town would mostly be a bust due to Covid-19.

The innkeepers were able to access federal funding through the Paycheck Protection Program to help keep them going.

Deptula also credits another decision — paying their staff a $15 per hour minimum wage — with helping the business transition through the pandemic. ...

‘Vital tool’ for recovery

Cape Gazette: General Assembly approves increase of minimum wage to $15: Governor signature needed to become law

By Melissa Steele
Cape Gazette, June 22, 2021

Increasing Delaware's minimum wage to $15 an hour is just a signature away from becoming law after passing the House on June 17. ...

Rehoboth Beach business owner Ryan Peters of RISE Fitness + Adventure said paying a $15 minimum wage is good business. “Employees have more pride in their work and are more invested in our company. We save money on costly turnover, and our dedicated staff keep our customers coming back,” he said in a statement released by Business for a Fair Minimum Wage.

Delaware Business Times: Delaware legislature approves $15 wage; bill heads to Carney

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.

Delaware State News: Small businesses voice support for increased minimum wage in Delaware

By Olivia Montes
Delaware State News, June 17, 2021

Small businesses across the First State are preparing for the financial boost of the summer season — but business owner Courtney Sunborn is particularly excited about the passage of legislation to increase minimum wage.

“I really enjoy speaking on behalf of it as a small-business owner because it has proven to be an extremely valuable way of doing business for me,” said Ms. Sunborn, owner and founder of the natural cleaning service Ecolistic Cleaning in Lewes.

WDEL News Radio: Minimum wage increase's fate to be decided in Delaware House, last stop before becoming law

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.  ...

Washington Post: These businesses found a way around the worker shortage: Raising wages to $15 an hour or more

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. ...