By Bonnie Washuk
Sun Journal (Lewison-Auburn, ME), January 29, 2014
AUBURN — President Barack Obama's call in Tuesday's State of the Union address for employers to pay workers a minimum of $10.10 per hour got a mixed reaction in Maine on Wednesday. ... Jim Wellehan of Auburn, who owns Lamey Wellehan shoe stores and is an activist for fair wages, said he agreed with the president. Paying workers a fair wage is important for a good business and a healthy economy, he said.
“It's only fair,” said Wellehan, who belongs to a national business group that favors a higher minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour; in Maine, it's $7.50 an hour.
“When you don't pay people well, a lot of things happen,” Wellehan said. They can't afford to live well or have time with family because they're working multiple jobs. “They can't afford to pay taxes and support the school system.”
Wellehan's company employs about 100 workers who all make more than $10 an hour. The company is profitable, he said, and he has many workers who have been there 30 or more years. ...