Op-Ed by Thomas E. Perez
Atlanta Journal Constitution, Aug 27, 2014
... Recently, Atlanta was the last stop of a five-city tour in advance of Labor Day to have a conversation with business, labor and civic leaders at a forum convened by Invest Atlanta. ... I also visited Bento Box, a full-scale animation studio where I met one worker who has risen in two years to become a supervisor thanks to on-the-job training partly funded by the Labor Department.
My message in Atlanta and at other stops was simple: We’re all in this together. ... If you’re following the old script, you’ll conclude that business almost universally opposes the minimum wage. But according to recent polling, 61 percent of small businesses want to increase it to $10.10 per hour, a raise that would benefit roughly 964,000 Georgia residents. Shrewd employers are paying above the minimum wage because they know it’s the right thing to do for 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.
Ours is an economy driven by consumer demand. When we give working people a raise, they pump it right back into the economy, spending it on goods and services in their communities. That helps more businesses grow, which creates more jobs. As a matter of fact, new research shows states that raised their minimum wages this year experienced greater job growth during the first half of 2014 than states that didn’t. ...
Thomas E. Perez is secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.