Hobby Lobby boosts full-time minimum wage to $13 per hour

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., which operates a store in New Hartford in the Hannaford Plaza on Commercial Drive, recently increased its minimum wage to $13 an hour for full-time employees and $9 per hour for part-time workers.

Hobby Lobby says 15,300 of its 21,402 total employees will benefit from the increased minimum wage. Of those employees receiving pay raises, about 41 percent work part time and 59 percent are full-time employees, Vincent Parker, director of training and customer service, says in an email.

The national minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour. The New York Assembly has proposed legislation that if adopted would raise the minimum wage in the state to $8.50 per hour. 

Oklahoma City–based Hobby Lobby, which has more than 500 stores in 41 states, says it’s boosting wages to reward and retain current employees.

“Our employees are essential to the continued success of Hobby Lobby stores nationwide,” company CEO and founder David Green said in an April 16 news release announcing the increase. “We believe they deserve to be recognized for their commitment to our company.”

This is the fourth year Hobby Lobby has raised its minimum wage, including a hike to $12 per hour last year for full-time employees and $8.50 for part-timers. Employees earning above the minimum wage are eligible for merit increases, Parker says.

Privately held Hobby Lobby does not disclose revenue figures, but Parker says the wage increase reflects the company’s success, which it believes in sharing with employees.

The company plans continued growth in 2012, opening 33 new stores and adding 1,200 jobs. Hobby Lobby recently opened a store in Las Vegas and will open stores in California, Florida, and North Carolina in the coming months.

In Central New York, Hobby Lobby also has stores in Fayetteville and Clay.

Green founded Hobby Lobby (www.hobbylobby.com) in 1972. Hobby Lobby and its affiliates, which include Hemispheres and Crafts, Etc!, carries no long-term debt. Stores are open only 66 hours per week and are closed on Sundays.