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 Ali Reid
WFMZ-TV 69 News, May 26, 2021
Governor Wolf is calling for an increase in Pennsylvania's minimum wage. ...
Many local business owners say they're on board, as Wolf says their pay increases are setting the standard for the future.
"Fair pay and benefits have been essential to our success," noted Peter Barber, president of the Two Dudes Painting Co. "Our turnover is low, which saves us a considerable money and time."
By Lauren Rude
ABC 27 News Harrisburg, May 26, 2021. Also WKBN (Ohio).
Governor Tom Wolf joined legislators, business owners and advocates to call on the General Assembly to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania to $12 an hour with a path to $15. ...
“We’ve been in business for almost 35 years, and fair pay has been central to our success,” Peter Barber, CEO of Two Dudes Painting Company in Lancaster, said.
By Barbara Barr
WGAL News 8, Lancaster, May 26, 2021
Gov. Tom Wolf is calling on lawmakers to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania.
Wolf visited Two Dudes Painting Company in Lancaster on Wednesday to make his case. ...
By WJET / WFXP / YourErie.com, May 26, 2021
Governor Wolf today called on the General Assembly to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $12 an hour, with a path to $15. ...
The governor was joined today 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 Craig Anderson
Delaware State News, May 19, 2021
With employees making a $15 hourly wage, there’s less staff turnover and retraining needed.
That’s according to Canalside Inn owner Kristen Deptula, who currently pays five workers what some want to see as Delaware’s minimum wage by 2025.
Also, the Rehoboth Beach business owner believes higher paid employees are more likely to spend money.
“They’re able to have a little flexibility with their budget and can go out and have some fun while putting money back into the economy,” she said on Tuesday.
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.
“It is incredibly difficult to think about living off of a minimum wage without having a second or a third job,” Grossberg said. “It’s needed. It’s not going to hurt anybody.”
Grossberg said higher wages have helped him reduce turnover and retain loyal employees.
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.
“For the past eight years, we have paid our folks in Virginia much higher than the Virginia minimum wage and I’m still in business,” she said.
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.” ...
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.
“Maintaining the status quo on Delaware’s minimum wage, which is one of the lowest in the mid-Atlantic region, isn’t just unfair to hourly workers, it’s also a missed opportunity to strengthen our economy,” said an Amazon spokesman when asked about why Amazon had taken out full-page advertising in favor of SB 15. ...
Two Rehoboth Beach business owners ... support the $15 minimum wage.
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.
"Raising the minimum wage saves businesses money in lower turnover, reduced hiring and training costs, less product waste and lower error and accident rates," she said. "Businesses also benefit from better productivity, a better product quality and better customer service." ...
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.
“There are all sorts of cost savings and bottom-line benefits to slowing down turnover and being able to retain employees to the tune of thousands of dollars per employee per year,” said Alissa Barron-Menza, vice president of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a national network of business owners and executives who support the fair minimum wage increase.