On behalf of all partners working in corporately owned and run stores, what we are payed as starting and tenured employees is not enough to sustain ourselves, and survive the rising costs of living in this great country of ours.

It is our belief that raising everyone to a base level of 10.00 an hour for starting and currently employed partners goes far to ensure a quality of life that will benefit everyone, especially our customers in the long term. When your employees are doing well, your company is doing well.

Giant retailers like Costco and Apple know how important it is to pay their workers a salary that's worth their efforts. Starbucks have led the way in so many areas, but they drag far behind in terms of employee pay. Many people start off at around 8.35 an hour. In 2014, that's unthinkable.