Op-Ed by Thomas E. Perez
Los Angeles Daily News, Aug 14, 2014
... Today, on the first stop of a five-city tour in advance of Labor Day, I’m coming to Los Angeles to have a conversation with local business, labor and civic leaders at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. ... My message in Los Angeles and at other stops across the country is simple: we’re all in this together. To continue our economic recovery, we have to put down our pre-determined talking points, identify common ground and get to work.
Here’s a great example: if you’re following the old script, you’ll conclude that business almost universally opposes the minimum wage. But in fact, according to recent polling, 61 percent of small businesses want to increase it to $10.10 per hour (a year ago, Gov. Brown signed a law that will raise the state minimum wage to $10 by 2016, which will eventually benefit more than 3.3 million California workers). Shrewd employers like Los Angeles-based Beanfields Snacks are paying above the minimum wage because they know it’s both the right thing to do by their workers and the smart thing to do for their bottom line. They see their human capital as a precious asset, one they must invest in to stay competitive. ...
Thomas E. Perez is secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.