But even as Senate Republicans in Washington, D.C., killed the Obama administration’s plan to hike the minimum wage, some Southwest Florida employers are taking the initiative to voluntarily raise workers’ pay.

On Monday, Sunset Automotive Group, Sarasota’s eighth-largest employer, plans to raise the minimum it pays staffers to $11 per hour.

The move will affect the paychecks of 50 of Sunset’s 650 employees who work at 13 auto dealerships in the region.

“Our reason for this increase is simple,” said Robert Geyer, Sunset’s president. “We are a family business and we feel strongly about our employees and their families. They should make a livable salary.”

According to the State of Florida’s Labor Market Services, current entry level wages for shipping and receiving clerks, receptionists, janitorial staff and porters averages $8.88 an hour.

More at source: Herald Tribune

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