Last week, on March 29, Vermont senior U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was grilling Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on the illegal union-busting activities used by that corporation. In order to embarrass our senior senator, Schultz shot back that Vermont has a paltry minimum wage of only $13.18/hour. His company pays more.

We all know that an individual, never mind a family with children, can’t make any headway on such a low wage in today’s economy. The Vermont Legislature should have raised the minimum wage to $15/hour years ago to keep pace with the actual cost of living. Now, in 2023, they could at least start there on the way toward a wage that would allow a family a living without depriving their children of the necessities of life in Vermont today.

Geoffrey Cobden

Weybridge