Support for Minimum Wage Increase Growing

by Press Staff

 

Support for increasing the minimum wage is growing, from private sector employers, national organizations and members of Congress. This week, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said that “on balance, I am a supporter of the minimum wage going up.”

The Starbucks announcement is significant, demonstrating an increasing amount of private sector support for the proposal and challenging arguments by business lobbyists. Schultz’s support comes on top of endorsements by the CEO of COSTCO, the President of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and other employers in support of an increase. In addition, more than 200 organizations support the bill by Rep. George Miller and Sen. Tom Harkin to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 in three steps from its current level of $7.25 set in 2007. The number of lawmakers supporting the bill is also rising. Nearly 140 members of the House have co-sponsored H.R. 1010.

Read more about H.R. 1010, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013