By Joyce Rosenberg
Associated Press (AP), October 29, 2014
Workers in five states could get a raise after Election Day. Some small business owners say raising the minimum wage will pressure their companies, forcing them to cut employees' hours or jobs. Others say it's the right thing to do for workers and the economy.
Minimum wage referendums are on Tuesday's ballots in Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota, where minimums range from $6.25 to $8.25 an hour. ...
Seasonal workers at Rick Poore's Lincoln, Nebraska screen printing and embroidery company earn the minimum wage. Tuesday's referendum could raise the state minimum from $7.25 to $8 on Jan. 1, and another $1 in 2016.
"That's not going to break my bank," says Poore, owner of Shirts101. If workers earn more, they'll have more money to spend and help the economy grow, Poore says. "They can't buy it if they don't have the dough."
Kristin Kohn voluntarily raised the minimum wage at her Indianapolis gift shop, Silver in the City, to $10.10 an hour when Obama signed an executive order on federal contractors' pay. ...
Kohn isn't alone. Eighty-one percent of small business owners who pay hourly wages pay above the minimum, according to a survey by The Hartford. Two-thirds of those owners support raising the federal minimum. ...
Copyright 2014 Associated Press