PORTLAND, Ore. -- New Seasons Market and a number of other Oregon companies have come together to support raising Oregon's minimum wage.
The businesses have not endorsed a specific ballot measure or legislative proposal, but New Seasons Market supports phasing in wage increases as high as $15 per hour. Phasing in a wage increase would give companies a chance to build the change into their budgets.
New Seasons also announced Thursday that the company will increase their starting wage from $10 an hour to $12 an hour in January.
Wendy Collie, the CEO of New Seasons, said while she supports increasing the minimum wage, the economic difference between small and large employers should be taken into account.
"The wage that supports self-sufficiency in urban areas such as Portland could be $15 per hour, while the difference in cost of living in rural communities could make the same wage unsustainable," Collie said.
Collie also said while companies can independently raise their own wages, individual employers like New Seasons can't reasonably move $15 per hour on their own. She said it will require policy changes that create a level playing field for business competition.
"At the minimum wage of $9.25 an hour, a family can't feed their family. Cost of living has gone up, the city is booming," she said.
Several other local businesses are also joining New Seasons Market in calling for a higher minimum wage, including Better World Club, Chef's Table, FMYI, Grain & Gristle, Grant Central Bakery, HOTLIPS Pizza, Looptworks, Morel Ink, Neil Kelly, Por Que No?, and the Joinery.
Currently, the minimum wage in Oregon is $9.25 an hour, one of the highest minimum wages in the country behind Washington D.C. and Washington state.
