By Ross Eisenbrey
Working Economics Blog, Economic Policy Institute, October 20, 2014

The last barricades in the right wing’s fight to prevent increases in the minimum wage are starting to fall, as even the businesses that minimum wage opponents are supposedly protecting from having to pay a decent wage are saying, “Enough! It’s time to raise the minimum wage.”

The American Sustainable Business Council and Business for a Fair Minimum Wage conducted a national phone poll of 555 small business employers and found support for raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour in every region...

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,"...