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
Resources
Research Shows Minimum Wage Increases Do Not Cause Job Loss
Extensive research refutes the claim that increasing the minimum wage causes increased unemployment and business closures.
Testimony of Robert Olson, Owner of Olson & Associates, Lombard and Springfield, IL, for Illinois Senate Committee of the Whole
June 23, 2015
My name is Bob Olson and I own Olson & Associates, an insurance agency serving Illinois with offices in Lombard and Springfield. I’m also the State General Agent of American Income Life, which covers more than 2 million policyholders in Illinois and around the nation. Raising the minimum wage is an essential step in insuring a more healthy state economy.
Testimony of Elizabeth Colon, President and Founder of Metaphrasis Language & Cultural Solutions and 2014 Illinois Small Business Person of the Year, for the Illinois Senate Committee of the Whole
June 23, 2015
My name is Elizabeth Colon, President and Founder of Metaphrasis Language & Cultural Solutions and recipient of the 2014 Illinois Small Business Person of the Year award by the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA). I was also named 2015 Business Owner of the Year by the National Association of Women Business Owners (Chicago).
Testimony of David Borris, Owner of Hel’s Kitchen Catering, Northbrook, for the Illinois Senate Committee of the Whole
National executive committee member of the Main Street Alliance small business network and member of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage
June 23, 2015
My name is David Borris and I own a 30-year-old catering business with a full-time staff of 31 people and over 90 part-time and seasonal employees. I pay a starting wage of $11.00 an hour – well above the current Illinois minimum wage of $8.25. And my business is thriving.
Paying good wages is part of my recipe for success. Raising the minimum wage is smart policy for Illinois.
National Poll: Small Business Owners Favor Raising Federal Minimum Wage
61% of small business owners with employees support raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour and adjusting it to keep up with the cost of living in future years, according to a scientific national opinion poll.
More TESTIMONY to be posted
Testimony: Margot Dorfman, CEO, U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, Regarding Massachusetts Minimum Wage
Testimony of Margot Dorfman, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce
on Senate Bill 878 and House Bill 1701 – "An Act to Improve the Commonwealth’s Economy With a Strong Minimum Wage"
before the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, Massachusetts General Assembly, June 11, 2013
Testimony: Holly Sklar, Director, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, Regarding Massachusetts Minimum Wage
Testimony of Holly Sklar, Director, Business for a Fair Minimum Wage
on Senate Bill 878 and House Bill 1701 – “An Act to Improve the Commonwealth’s Economy With a Strong Minimum Wage”
before the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, Massachusetts General Assembly, June 11, 2013
National Poll: Small Businesses Support Increasing Minimum Wage
Two out of three small business owners (67%) support increasing the federal minimum wage and adjusting it yearly to keep up with the cost of living. The strong support for a minimum wage raise is particularly striking since the small business owners are predominately Republican. The poll was conducted March 4-10, 2013 by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research on behalf of Small Business Majority. The minimum wage, now $7.25 an hour, was last increased in 2009.
Testimony of Business Owner Lew Prince before US Senate Hearing on Minimum Wage
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
Full Committee Hearing, March 14, 2013
Keeping up with a Changing Economy: Indexing the Minimum Wage
Statement of Lew Prince, Co-Owner and CEO of Vintage Vinyl
Testimony: Margot Dorfman, CEO, U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, Regarding Maryland Minimum Wage
Testimony of Margot Dorfman, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce
on House Bill 1204 “Labor and Employment - Maryland Wage and Hour Law - Payment of Wages”
before the House Economic Matters Committee, Maryland General Assembly, February 27, 2013
Maryland Minimum Wage Bill Summary 2013
Background
Maryland’s minimum wage is currently just $7.25 per hour, or $15,080 per year for a full-time worker.
Polls: New Yorkers Support Minimum Wage Increase
Quinnipiac University Poll: Voters Back Minimum Wage 5-1, January 31, 2013
New York State voters support 80 - 17 percent raising the state's minimum wage. Support is 61 - 35 percent among Republicans, 95 - 3 percent among Democrats and 77 - 22 percent among independent voters. Support in every income, age, educational and regional group tops 70 percent.
Testimony: Margot Dorfman, CEO, U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, Regarding Connecticut Minimum Wage
Excerpt: "The business owners with whom I talk every day believe that ... raising the minimum wage in fact helps small businesses. ... While some try to portray a minimum wage increase as a fight between business and workers, raising the minimum wage is in reality good for both."