TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Starting Jan. 1, the Arizona minimum wage will jump from $12.80 per hour to $13.85 per hour. This will apply to all employers in the state, even small businesses.
Will Feurstock has been the owner of OK Pet Feed and Supply for six years now but many of his employees have been here much longer.
“We’re a family owned and operated store since 1936. We specialize now in holistic animal products,” said Feurstock.
He told me all of his employees already make more than the minimum wage. Still, he said he’ll have to make some difficult decisions due to next year’s rise in minimum wage.
“As the minimum wage goes up it gets closer to those employees that have been here long term. It’s almost a fairness aspect, like this employee has been here for ten years but may only be making a few dollars more an hour than someone we just hired in,” he said.
So instead of letting employees work their way up to higher pay at the same rate, he’s having to weigh his decisions.
“Maybe we don’t hire a new person and distribute duties among other staff members,” he said.
One of those staff members is Michelle King. She's been a part of the team for 12 years. As an employee, she has mixed feelings about the increase.
“While I think it’s nice that people can make a little bit more, I think mandating it to the business makes it difficult for the business to reward people, or employees like myself, who have been here for a long time, and have way more experience and knowledge and have put in much more time here, than somebody who’s newer,” said King.
She wishes others saw the value in small businesses serving the community.
“While there’s a lot of things that I feel like we’re passed into law maybe in the spirit of fairness where it seems like a good idea to people, it’s not necessarily. And it really, not so much for huge corporations, can negatively impact small businesses and how they’re able to operate,” she said.
The minimum wage will rise again in Tucson to $14.25 starting in 2024.
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
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