Columbia (MO) Tribune: Minimum wage bumps up automatically (Business owner supports "fair wage")

[usregimechange]

Voters in 2006 approved a ballot measure that requires the state’s minimum wage to increase annually along with inflation, and the hourly minimum increased 40 cents yesterday from $6.65 to $7.05, based on a 6 percent change in the U.S. Consumer Price Index between July 2007 and July 2009.

Missouri’s minimum wage is now 50 cents higher than the federal level of $6.55, but the federal minimum wage rises to $7.25 in July.

Lockhart said her 20 part-time employees make up about 30 percent of her operating costs. She said her business will definitely notice the minimum wage increase, but she said it is worth it.

"I’d rather close the doors than not be able to pay people a fair wage," Lockhart said. "Our goal is sustainability," and "if the business only makes it off the back of labor, then it doesn’t work," she said.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2009/Jan/20090102News010.asp


Be sure to eat there the next time you are in Columbia (oooh, they have wifi too):

28 S 9th St
Columbia, MO 65201
[phone]
http://main-squeeze.com/

The Main Squeeze is located in beautiful downtown Columbia, Mo., near the corner of 9th Street and Cherry Street. Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sunday 10am-3pm Main Squeeze 28 S. Ninth Street Columbia, MO 65201 573-817-5616 e-mail: [e-mail]

Map:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?address=28%20S%209th%20St&city=Columbia&state=MO&zipcode=65201%2d4814&country=US&title=%3cb%3e28%20S%209th%20St%3c%2fb%3e%3cbr%20%2f%3e%20Columbia%2c%20MO%2065201%2d4814%2c%20%20US&cid=lfmaplink2&name=&dtype=s

and thank Lockhart for her support of her workers!

[usregimechange]

1. Check this out:

Everything we do is based on our goal of running a sustainable business. What does that mean, exactly? Simply, when we make decisions, we ask ourselves one question: Is this the very best we can do for the health of our planet, our customers, our employees, our community? For a decade, we have answered this question by:

* Composting 100% of our food waste, using this powerful dirt to nourish our garden
* Recycling all of our plastic, glass, aluminum, cardboard and office waste
* Using the most earth-friendly to-go packaging we can find,
* Using our café to demonstrate sustainable ideas (like our website mosaic made of old beans), our table tops mosaiced from our broken dishes, or our funky seat cushions crocheted from plastic grocery bags!
* Supported our beloved community in lots of ways like hosting fundraisers for groups like the Central MO Humane Society, the Missouri Symphony Society, and KOPN Community Radio.
* Displayed and sold art for more than 50 local artists, forwarding 100% of sales to the artist.

It's a love thing, really. After all, sustainability is really about caring very much about you, our planet and how we all can work to make it better for now and the future. That's the glue that holds our little enterprise together.

Ibid

[sandnsea]

2. The Beloved Community

That's the basis of MLK Day and Obama's Call To Service. I am so excited to see this in print more often.

http://www.mlkday.gov/
http://www.obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=134