The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce supported the last increase in the federal minimum wage on July 24, 2009 and we believe another raise is overdue. The business owners I talk with every day say that, far from hurting their businesses, raising the minimum wage in fact helps small businesses and the broader economy. The number one problem for our member businesses is weak customer demand. Too many people forget that workers are also consumers. Consumer spending drives 70 percent of our economy, and we must repower consumer spending – backed by adequate wages rather than unaffordable debt – if we are going to repower our economy, create jobs and rebuild our middle class.  Raising the minimum wage puts dollars in the pockets of workers who are by necessity most likely to spend them immediately at the grocery store, the pharmacy, the auto-repair shop and other local businesses. Raising the minimum wage boosts the economy from the bottom up, which is exactly what we need/Margo Dorman, Congress Blog, The Hill. More here.

Question: Some will argue that raising the minimum wage hurts business because it forces owners to lay off workers. What do you think?