It’s time to write a letter to your Congressional representatives, AAMA says. The coin-machine association is organizing a call to action to make federal legislators aware of the negative impact a national $15 minimum wage will have on the industry.

In the letter they drafted for operators, AAMA writes: “The federal government is moving towards raising the national minimum wage to $15 per hour. Should this take effect, the negative impact on our industry will be staggering, especially at a time when so many in our community are still struggling to survive the devastating setbacks caused by Covid-19.

“We recognize all markets in the U.S. are not created equally, and that some have higher costs of living,” they continued. “This disparity is why we believe a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to the minimum wage is the wrong way forward.”

AAMA goes on to suggest Congress adopt a regional approach, noting, “Any federally-mandated minimum wage should consider an individual market’s cost of living when determining an appropriate minimum wage.” They also suggest variances for part-time employees under the age of 18 and multi-year, tiered increases.

“The impact of an abrupt increase in the minimum wage will have a particularly negative impact on our industry and others staffed with a disproportionate percentage of younger employees, especially after this year of unprecedented upheaval and distress,” concluded AAMA president Joe Camarota and assistant treasurer Rick Kirby, both co-chairs of the association’s government relations committee. Stay in the loop at www.coin-op.org.