By Diane Stafford
Kansas City Star, July 27, 2014; updated July 29, 2014
... At the NAACP convention last week in Las Vegas ... In a unanimous resolution, amid calls for “economic justice,” the organization backed raising the federal minimum wage. Since 2009, it’s been $7.25 an hour. For a growing chorus of voices, higher pay has become a civil rights issue. They argue that workers, especially on full-time hours, should be paid a “living wage” — enough to cover basic housing, food, fuel and clothing expenses — and minimum wage’s $15,000 a year doesn’t cut it. ...
The NAACP measure ... supports “a living wage for all working people” and endorses the federal Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 and President Obama’s executive order requiring federal contractors to pay workers at least $10.10 an hour. ...
The Missouri Restaurant Association, among several trade groups, opposes $10.10 an hour. ... Although surveys generally find that 8 in 10 Americans back a minimum-wage increase, a sizable contingent believes wage hikes aren’t necessary. ... Some business-oriented and conservative groups say the workers pursue their wage quests at their peril. ...
On the opposite side, the Business for a Fair Minimum Wage organization supports a higher wage floor. It says consumer demand drives job creation. ...
And many companies, such as Ikea, Costco, Whole Foods and Gap, have raised or plan to increase their entry-level pay. ...
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