Four states passed proposals to increase the minimum wage, adding to the growing support for higher pay floors for U.S. workers

By Sean Ollocca
CFO Magazine, Nov 17, 2016

Employees at low-paying jobs in four states can expect a raise next year after voters passed proposals on Election Day to increase the minimum wage. Arizona, Maine, and Colorado plan to gradually increase the wage floor to $12 from an average of just under $8 by 2020. Washington will hike an already above-average $9.47 an hour to $13.50 an hour over the same period. ...

For...

With voter approval, Colorado's hourly rate will rise to $12 per hour over three years

By Kyle Harding
Centennial Citizen, November 17, 2016. Also Littleton Independent

... But Littleton resident Michael Kessler, who owns Sanyork Fair Trade in Denver and worked on the Business for a Fair Minimum Wage campaign, thinks the increase is long overdue.

“We feel that $10-or-under an hour is not a living wage, especially in this economy and in Colorado,” he said.

In the Nov. 8 election, Colorado voters favored Amendment 70's incremental minimum wage increase by 55.2 percent to 44.7 percent...

Colorado, Arizona, Washington and Maine all voted to boost minimum wage to $12 per hour

By Aldo Svaldi
Denver Post, Updated November 16, 2016

Business owners across the state are crunching the numbers and trying to figure out their next moves after Colorado joined Arizona, Washington and Maine in approving a $12-an-hour minimum wage on Tuesday.

While businesses who backed the higher wage say they think it could be good for their employees and their business, many are doing a calculation that involves finding the right balance between passing on higher costs to customers, adjusting staffing and work...

By Debra Borchardt
Forbes, Nov 15, 2016

Counterculture pizza chain &pizza is headed to New York City with a $25 million cash investment from investment firm AVALT. It’s a pretty gutsy move expanding into the pizza capital of the country, but &pizza is confident it will win over New Yorkers with a slice of its millennial-friendly social consciousness. The chain is know for its progressive approach towards its healthy menu and fair treatment of its workers.

The first restaurant is planned to open in spring/summer 2017 and will be located near Madison Square Park, ground zero for Shake Shack....

By Christine Kern
Hospitality Leader, November 14, 2016

... How The Elections Will Affect The Restaurant and Hospitality Industries

With Donald Trump’s success in his bid for the presidency, the outlook for the restaurant and hospitality industry might have become just a bit brighter in the long run, according to The Nation’s Restaurant News. Although voters in four states approved ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2020 in Arizona, Colorado and Maine and to $13.50 per hour by 2020 in Washington State, a Trump win makes the increase of the federal minimum wage...

This should hopefully put to bed the idea that increasing wages is bad for business.

By Adele Peters
Fast Company CoExist, Nov 10, 2016
On Election Day, in four very different states— Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington—voters approved ballot measures to bump up the minimum wage to at least $12 by 2020, which will directly benefit around two million workers. ...
"This really reinforces what we know—that there's very strong support among the general public for raising the minimum wage, and there's also strong support in the business community for raising the minimum wage," says Holly Sklar, CEO of an organization called Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. "And you can see it across the country and across the political spectrum."

By Ted Skroback
KOAA 5, Nov 9, 2016

Currently minimum wage is $8.31. In 2017, that goes up 99 cents to $9.30 an hour, and it'll keep going up 90 cents each January, until it hits $12.

"We actually pay our employees that minimum wage and more so it's not an issue for us," said Richard Skorman, Co-Owner Poor Richard's shops downtown.

While a lot of small businesses may struggle with higher labor costs, some like Skorman's downtown shops advocated for 'Yes' on Amendment 70 and are happy it passed.

"It would be great for...

By Kate Rogers
CNBC, Nov 9, 2016

Workers in four states will be getting a raise over the next four years. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington State all passed ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage, as momentum continues to build steadily nationwide in favor of seemingly fairer salaries. Citizens of Arizona, Colorado, and Maine will see pay hiked to $12 an hour over the next four years, while Washingtonians will see wages hit $13.50 by 2020. ...

           "WORKERS ARE ALSO CUSTOMERS, AND INCREASED PAY MEANS INCREASED CONSUMER BUYING POWER."...

By Joyce M. Rosenberg
Associated Press (AP), Nov 9, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) — The election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president has small business advocates expecting policy changes on issues like health care and the environment. ...

MINIMUM WAGE

The approval of minimum wage increases in Arizona, Colorado, Maine and the state of Washington will likely add momentum to campaigns in other parts of the country, says Holly Sklar, director of the advocacy group Business For a Fair Minimum Wage.

"We expect to see more states through legislation and ballot campaigns to...

By Eric Morath
Wall Street Journal, Nov 9, 2016

A sweep of minimum-wage increases approved Tuesday across four states puts the issue—and other polices aimed at supporting lower-paid workers—back on the table, even in places that approved higher pay floors a year or two ago. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington approved ballot questions seeking to raise minimum wages in those states to $12 an hour or more, and then lock in those higher levels in real terms by binding future increases to the cost of living. And in two states, the provision also guarantees sick leave to workers. ...

Meanwhile, voters...

By Kate Taylor
Business Insider, Nov 9, 2016

Four states voted on Tuesday to increase the minimum wage. In Maine, Arizona, Colorado, and Washington, voters passed ballot measures to increase the minimum wage to at least $12 an hour by 2020. More  than two million people will receive pay raises thanks to the new laws. ...

The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour hasn't changed since 2009 and Congress has blocked numerous attempts to raise it.  ...

But there's a ton of research that shows raising wages does not lead to massive job cuts. And not every business owner is opposed to raising the minimum wage. 

"We...

By Lisa Jennings
Nation's Restaurant News, Nov 9, 2016

In what may be the biggest upset in recent U.S. history, real estate mogul and Republican nominee for president Donald Trump was elected to the country’s highest office on Tuesday ... A top business question for the restaurant industry remains whether consumers will feel confident about spending money again once the clouds of the campaign have cleared. ...

Voters in four states approved ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2020 in Arizona, Colorado and Maine, and to $13.50 per hour...

By Andrew Soergel
U.S. News & World Report,  Nov 9, 2016

Tuesday was not an Election Day to remember for those on the left, but progressive wage initiatives in four states passed as millions of voters supported efforts to raise pay for those at the bottom of the earnings scale. Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington all passed minimum wage initiatives Tuesday that will gradually raise their respective state-mandated base pay levels. Washington will boost its minimum wage to $13.50 per hour by 2020, while the other states will see minimum pay climb to $12 per...

By Patrick Whittle
Associated Press (AP), Nov 9, 2016

PORTLAND — Maine voters have decided to give the state's lowest wage earners a raise. They approved a ballot initiative that boosts the hourly minimum wage of $7.50 to $12 by 2020. ...

HIKING MINIMUM WAGE

Voters decided to put more money in the pockets of the state's lowest wage earners.

A ballot question called for the hourly minimum wage to increase from $7.50 to $12 by 2020. It was approved. The raise will come in installments. The minimum wage is set to increase to $9 next...

By Shay Castle
Boulder Daily Camera, Nov 9, 2016

... "We really feel it's important as a company to support all our employees so that they can continue to live in Boulder or close to Boulder," said Stephanie Carter, co-owner of Boulder's Wallaroo Hat Co."We like to see all those dollars go back into the community."

The company, a Boulder Chamber member with 12 full-time employees, has always paid a dollar or two above minimum wage, at least, and gives employees a raise every year.

Carter said her already well-compensated employees will get raises in concurrence...