Washington, D.C.-based &pizza, the politically progressive chain that has long fought for a higher national minimum wage, said Wednesday it will pay all of its workers at least $15 an hour starting in 2022.
The fast-casual pizza chain said it was inspired by the recent passage of Amendment 2 in Florida, which called for a $15 minimum wage across the state.
“2020 knocked us all on our asses, but these essential workers showed up,” &pizza CEO and co-founder Michael Lastoria said in a statement. “In most cases, they had to for the paycheck--for their livelihood and families--and in all cases because they are the best of us--caring and committed--as we now need to be even more so for them. We must make the minimum wage in this country a living wage, and if Congress can’t figure that out quickly, &pizza will show them how. Our goal is simple: to unite the working class around this issue.”
Since 2012, &pizza has advocated for workers rights and higher wages in a variety of ways.
Earlier this month, the 36-unit chain closed all of its units on Election Day and gave employees paid time off so they could vote.
The company also recently gave all workers three days of paid time off a year for “personal activism.”
“The debunked myth that raising the minimum wage is bad for business is the sort of divisive rhetoric that will linger unless actively stopped,” the chain said in a press release.
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