By Christopher Rugaber
Associated Press (AP), Aug 3, 2018

With the U.S. unemployment rate near a five-decade low, companies are looking harder for employees, and in some cases finding them right at their own workplaces. ...

Average hourly pay gains remained modest in July, increasing 2.7 percent from a year earlier, the same as the previous two months. That has puzzled Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and many economists. Typically, when unemployment has fallen below 4 percent in the past, wages have increased at a faster pace. With rising gas prices pushing up inflation, Americans...

By Kurt Erickson
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Aug 2, 2018

JEFFERSON CITY • Missouri voters will get a chance to weigh in on legalizing medical marijuana, tightening government ethics laws and raising the minimum wage in November, after state officials approved five ballot initiatives Thursday. ... Also on the ballot will be a question on whether to raise Missouri's minimum wage to $12 by 2023. The current minimum wage is $7.85 an hour.

Supporters say phasing in the increase will give businesses adequate time to adjust to the higher costs.

Scott Sandler, owner of Pizza Head in St. Louis, is among...

By Rudi Keller
Columbia Daily Tribune, Aug 2, 2018

... Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft on Thursday certified five ballot measures for the Nov. 6 election. ...

The two other initiatives approved Thursday have strong campaigns backing their efforts. Missouri’s minimum wage is currently $7.85 an hour, a level 60 cents higher than the federal minimum thanks to an inflation adjustment included in a 2006 ballot measure. If passed, the minimum would increase to $8.60 on Jan. 1 and go up 85 cents a year until it reaches $12.

“Missouri’s minimum wage of $7.85 an hour...

By Allison Kite
Kansas City Star, Aug 2, 2018

... Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft on Thursday certified five initiative petitions to appear on November’s general election ballot. ... The fifth petition would raise the minimum wage to $8.65 per hour next year and boost it by $0.85 each year until it reaches $12 per hour in 2023. ...

Raise Up Missouri and Missouri Business for a Fair Minimum Wage both support raising the minimum wage and urged Missourians to vote “yes” in a release after Ashcroft’s announcement. Both argue that raising the minimum wage will...

By Rudi Keller
Mexico Ledger (MO), Aug 2, 2018

... Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft on Thursday certified five ballot measures for the Nov. 6 election. The medical marijuana proposals will appear alongside two other measures proposed by petition: Amendment 1, which would strengthen ethics laws and revise how election districts are decided, and Proposition B, which would raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2023. ...

“Missouri’s minimum wage of $7.85 an hour is too low for even full-time workers to afford their basics: food, rent and more,” Bob Goodrich, president of the...

Op-Ed By Chris Lu, former Dep Labor Secretary
This week marks the ninth anniversary of the last time the federal minimum wage was raised on July 24, 2009. ... employers around the country agree that higher wages are good for the bottom line. ...

Rick Smith Show, July 23, 2018
Michael O'Connor, Owner of La Barberia in Philadelphia and Jenkintown, PA and member of the group Business for a Fair Minimum Wage joins Rick to explain why he supports raising the minimum wage...

Op-Ed By Michael Kanter, Owner, Cambridge Naturals
...My daughter Emily and I give a seminar called “Stand Out Or Watch Out: How to Be Extraordinary in a Competitive Retail Environment.” One of the key points we make is how vital it is to create a business culture that motivates your staff and keeps customers coming in your doors. ...

By Shira Schoenberg
Springfield Republican/MassLive, June 27, 2018

BOSTON -- Gov. Charlie Baker plans to sign a bill on Thursday that will reshape Massachusetts' workplaces, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and instituting a paid family leave program. ...

Holly Sklar, CEO of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a group of businesses that advocated in favor of the minimum wage increase, called the boost to a $15 an hour wage a "win-win" for businesses. 

"Minimum wage increases will boost the consumer buying power that businesses depend on to thrive and create jobs," Sklar...

By Dan Brenikov
Ogilvy, May 24, 2018

Last week in New York, PSFK held a conference that brought together influential thinkers in branding, technology, retail, marketing and more to discuss the latest in how these spaces continue to intersect, and how consumer behavior affects all of it. We came out of the conference with some key takeaways, trends that appear to be crucial for those in marketing—particularly brand strategists—to keep top of mind. ...

5. Brands Need A Purpose, And Need To Live It

You’ve probably heard some of the hype; but a siloed CSR initiative or hollow...

Forbes Small Giants
Forbes, May 2018

The third annual Small Giants list celebrates 25 standout businesses that favor greatness over growth... The companies are all privately owned, profitable, at least ten years old and were selected based on factors including community involvement, commitment to staff and industry excellence. ...

UNCOMMONGOODS
BROOKLYN, NY
FOUNDER: DAVE BOLOTSKY (CEO)
2017 REVENUE: MORE THAN $60 MILLION
EMPLOYEES: 200
In 1999 Dave Bolotsky, a former Goldman Sachs managing director, launched UncommonGoods, an online retail platform that sells gifts, jewelry and home accessories made by independent artists and designers. It has enjoyed 13 straight...

Op-Ed By Mary Faucett, Owner, Bambino's Cafe
... When Missouri raises the minimum wage, and all businesses, including the large chains, have to pay a decent wage, it will level the playing field for us little guys and help us grow our business. ...

By Jennifer Zarate
WWLP-22News, May 8, 2018

A rally held at the State House in Boston drew hundreds of people demanding legislature to take action on paid leave and a $15 minimum wage. ...

In favor of raising minimum wage, Holly Sklar, CEO of Business For a Fair Minimum Wage, said workers are customers, so when there's more money circulating in wages it's going right back into businesses in the form of spending.

"As a lot of our businesses will tell you investing in your workers means that they're going to be investing more into your...

By Matt Murphy
State House News Service, May 8, 2018

BOSTON - There will be votes taken this year on a $15-an-hour minimum wage and paid family and medical leave for workers. The only question, advocates assured on Tuesday, is whether legislators vote this spring, or voters make the decision in the fall.

Hundreds of union workers, community organizers and faith-based leaders swarmed the Statehouse Tuesday to make their voices and presence felt by lawmakers. Raise Up Massachusetts, the coalition behind two ballot questions to achieve both policy goals, organized the raucous rally, which echoed through the building...

By Nicole Duncan
QSR Magazine, May 2018

When it comes to hot-button issues in the restaurant industry, the question of minimum wage may be the most contested. Some operators have become champions of the cause, citing it not only as a business responsibility, but also as an opportunity to build a stronger company from the ground up. ...

Looking to the future, three limited-service leaders weigh in on how restaurants can adapt to the changes. ...

MICHAEL LASTORIA / Cofounder & CEO, &pizza

... &pizza is built on the shoulders of its employees. We give them...