About the source for the story…
———–
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Employment_Policies_Institute

The Employment Policies Institute is one of several front groups created by Berman & Co., a Washington, DC public affairs firm owned by Rick Berman , who lobbies for the restaurant, hotel, alcoholic beverage and tobacco industries. EPI, registered as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, has has been widely quoted in news stories regarding minimum wage issues, and although a few of those stories have correctly described it as a “think tank financed by business,” most stories fail to provide any identification that would enable readers to identify the vested interests behind its pronouncements. Instead, it is usually described exactly the way it describes itself, as a “non-profit research organization dedicated to studying public policy issues surrounding employment growth” that “focuses on issues that affect entry-level employment.” In reality, EPI’s mission is to keep the minimum wage low so Berman’s clients can continue to pay their workers as little as possible.

EPI also owns the internet domain names to MinimumWage.com and LivingWage.com , a website that attempts to portray the idea of a living wage for workers as some kind of insidious conspiracy. “Living wage activists want nothing less than a national living wage,” it warns (as though there is something wrong with paying employees enough that they can afford to eat and pay rent).
———–

Berman has done work against the Americans With Disabilities Act, and what do you know, he’s also tied to Gingrich – small world, eh?

———–
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Richard_Berman

Richard B. (Rick) Berman is a former labor lawyer and restaurant industry executive who currently works as a lobbyist for the food, alcoholic beverage and tobacco industries. His company, Berman & Co., sponsors many front groups that defend his corporate clients’ interests by attacking their critics, allowing his paying clients to remain out of public view.

According to a July 31, 2006, profile of Berman in USA Today, his company has 28 employees and takes in $10 million dollars a year, but “only Berman and his bookkeeper wife” know how much of the $10 million ends up in their own pockets. [1] >

>
>
>

Work history
1967-1969: Labor Law attorney, Bethlehem Steel
1969-1972: Corporate law attorney, Dana Corp. (automotive parts)
1972-1974: Labor law director, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1975-1984: Senior Vice President, Steak and Ale (restaurant chain)
1984-1986: Executive Vice President, Pillsbury Restaurant Group
1986-present: President, Berman &Co. (lobbying group)
Source: interview with Berman in Chainleader.com[2]

Pesticides:

An article in the December 15,1999 copy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer describes Berman’s support for Uniroyal, the company that produces Alar ™, a pesticide used on apples. Through his Guest Choice Network (currently the Center for Consumer Freedom ) Berman published a newsletter that minimized the risks of Alar to children. The newsletter stated, “According to the
Environmental Protection Agency , one would have to eat 50,000 pounds of apples a day over a lifetime to contract cancer from Alar.” In response, EPA spokeswoman Denise Kearns said, “To my knowledge, EPA never issued that kind of statement.” In the end Berman admitted that the source of his information was a statement made by Uniroyal. Alar has since been banned due to cancer risks.

Americans with Disabilities Act:

In an October 9, 1989 commentary for Nation’s Restaurant News, Berman opposed the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). He wrote, “The ADA in its present form will cost our industry untold millions in added construction and labor costs” He begins the article with a reference to the ADA and AIDS. He stated, “Congress … is seriously considering passage of a new law that would require employers to ignore AIDS infections among cooks and servers.”

Ethics violations:

In the early 1990s, Berman was tied to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich through possible ethics violations involving Gingrich’s PAC (GOPAC ). In 1993, Berman made a $25,000 contribution to Kennesaw State College for Gingrich’s class on “Renewing American Civilization” on condition that Gingrich teach ideas supported by EPI. House Ethics Committee reports revealed that Berman’s contribution was solicited by GOPAC and that Berman had already helped GOPAC in recruiting big donors. In the cover letter to the check, Berman thanked Gingrich for his “help” in enabling Berman to testify at a Congressional hearing on another matter of interest to the industry.
———-

Says a lot about journalism in this country when corporate propaganda can be passed off as news.