By Jacob Owens
Delaware Business Times, January 2, 2024
Delaware continued its march toward an eventual $15 minimum wage with an increase of $1.50 an hour on Monday. ...
The bill spurred a contentious debate ... But others, including business owners, said the increase will help attract workers to Delaware with the promise of higher wages, therefore decreasing turnover and allowing Delaware to remain competitive with surrounding states.
Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, an advocacy group, pushed for the hike and organized some local small business owners to push its message here. They included Canalside Inn owner Kristen Deptula who said she has paid her employees [at least] $15 an hour since buying her Rehoboth Beach hotel in 2019.
“As a hospitality business, I know that happier employees make for happier customers. Fair pay drives our success. Employees can do a better job when they aren’t continually worried about how they are going to get by on wages that don’t even cover the basics. Delaware’s minimum wage increase will make for a happier New Year for workers and for businesses that will see a welcome boost in consumer spending,” she said in a statement ahead of the 2024 increase.