BFMW In the News

By Lisa Jennings, Holly Petre
Restaurant Hospitality, May 04, 2021

... #5. Virginia’s first minimum wage increase towards $12 an hour went into effect May 1

On May 1, the first in a series of wage increases voted on by the state legislature in 2020 went into effect for the state of Virginia. For the first time in 10 years, workers in Virginia saw the federally mandated $7.25 an hour minimum wage increase to $9.50 an hour. ...

“We advocated for raising Virginia’s minimum wage, which was long stuck at $7.25 an hour, and look forward to the economic boost from this increase,” said Alissa Barron-Menza, vice president of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage.

By J.D. Prose
USA Today Network, Pennsylvania State Capital Bureau, May 2, 2021

Attempts to push Congress and the Pennsylvania Legislature to raise the minimum wage have been made sporadically for years....

[Gov.] Wolf said raising the minimum wage would put more money into workers’ pockets, which would help businesses, and help reduce employee turnover for business owners. ...

According to the group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage... there are plenty of studies that refute claims that a higher minimum wage would lead to fewer jobs.

By Jackie DeFusco
WRIC ABC 8 News Richmond, Apr 30, 2021

Virginia’s first minimum wage increase in more than a decade takes effect on Saturday, May 1. The new rate will be $9.50 per hour. That’s up from $7.25, a baseline mandated by the federal government in 2009. ...

Liz Kincaid, who co-owns four restaurants in Richmond, supports the minimum wage increase. ...

Buz Grossberg, the owner of Buz and Ned’s Real Barbecue, agrees.

By Ned Oliver
Virginia Mercury, April 30, 2021

The first of three minimum wage increases approved by Virginia lawmakers will take effect Saturday, guaranteeing the state’s lowest paid workers an hourly rate of $9.50 an hour. ...

Gina Schaefer owns Old Town Ace Hardware in Alexandria and employs 250 people across stores in Virginia, D.C., and Maryland. A member of the group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, she said her lowest paid employees earn at least $15 an hour.

By Mitchell Hartman
Marketplace, April 29, 2021

President Joe Biden has announced that the minimum wage for hundreds of thousands of federal contract workers will increase from $10.95 an hour to $15 an hour next year. This the president can do by executive order. But raising the federal minimum wage for all American workers requires legislation from Congress, which last raised the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour in 2009. ...

By Ben Paviour
VPM/NPR, April 29, 2021

Virginia is set to see its first minimum wage increase in over a decade on Saturday. ...

NFIB Virginia, a group representing small businesses, called the upcoming hike “devastating,” while another group, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, argued it would “help build a shared economic recovery.” ...

Read more

By Tyler Arnold
The Center Square, Apr 28, 2021

The first increase in Virginia’s incremental minimum wage hike will go into effect this Saturday, when the hourly minimum goes from $7.75 to $9.50. ...

The increase has received support from some businesses that already guarantee workers a $15 hourly wage. Alan Smith, a co-owner of Lamplighter Coffee Roasters in Richmond told The Center Square his business already sets a $15 base pay because he believes “everyone deserves to make a living wage.”

By Melissa Steele
Cape Gazette, April 23, 2021

Corporate behemoth Amazon has waded into Delaware's minimum wage battle with a recent campaign supporting a $15 starting wage for all. Senate Bill 15, which would raise Delaware's minimum wage to $15 an hour for all workers, moved through committee April 21 and now awaits action in the House.

Ohio Call & Post, April 2021

According to Policy Matters Ohio, nearly 30% of Ohio's workforce - or 1.5 million people - would benefit from raising the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Ohio's current minimum wage is $8.80 an hour. ...

Many arguments against raising the wage to $15 have said it would hurt small businesses. However, Holly Sklar, chief executive of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, disputed that claim.

By Dan Marticio
Lending Tree, April 16, 2021

... Pros of raising the minimum wage ...

IMPROVES EMPLOYEE RETENTION

Higher wages could help employers retain their workforce because employees have less incentive to seek higher-paying employment elsewhere. Reducing employee turnover could be a boon to a business’s bottom line.

By Mary Schuermann Kuhlman
Public News Service - OH, April 14, 2021. Also WCSM Radio, Cleveland Scene, Cincinnati City Beat, others

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A new report makes the case that Ohio workers deserve a higher minimum wage. According to Policy Matters Ohio, nearly 30% of Ohio's workforce - or 1.5 million people - would benefit from raising the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Ohio's current minimum wage is 8.80 an hour. ...

Hannah Report
Hannah News Service, Columbus, OH, April 13, 2021

Policy Matters Ohio (PMO) released a report Tuesday on the potential benefits of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, with researcher Michael Shields saying it would add $6.1 billion into the state economy each year, benefit 1.56 million Ohioans and drive greater pay equity for women and minorities. ...

Holly Sklar, CEO of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, discussed how the increase would help companies as well.

Op-Ed By Courtney Sunborn, Owner, Ecolistic Cleaning

As a longtime business owner, I applaud the Delaware Senate for voting to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. For the good of our economy, I hope the House follows suit. ...

By Ledyard King, Charisse Jones, Paul Davidson and Michael Collins
USA Today, April 7, 2021

By Tasos Kokkinidis
Greek Reporter, March 30, 2021

Greek-American Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, President and CEO of ECOS®, is not just a successful business leader but also an influential and dedicated environmentalist. In an in-depth interview with Greek Reporter, she explains how her company, which makes the environmentally friendly ECOS Laundry Detergent and other household cleaners, adapted to the coronavirus pandemic by prioritizing the health of its employees and scaling its operations to meet the global need for cleaning products. ...

ECOS, a member of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, has been a front-runner in supporting its employees with a strong health insurance policy, family-friendly benefits and a fair living wage, paying a minimum wage of $17 an hour, one of the highest in the industry.