Iowa coffee shop owner shames businesses who won't pay $15 an hour: 'That's why people won't work for you'

A coffeeshop owner in Jefferson, Iowa is serving notice to fellow businesspeople who are complaining about not being able to find work -- and is recommending that they start raising their wages.

The Carroll Times Herald reports that Rich Osborne, the owner of Greene Bean Coffee in downtown Jefferson, found himself flooded with job applications after he started offering new hires $15 an hour.

Osborne said that he wasn't just overwhelmed by the quantity of the applications, but the quality, as he received a lot more resumes with strong experience and glowing references than he would receive when he offered lower wages.

"My jaw drops with every new one," Osborne tells the publication. "I can't believe how many valid applications we're getting."

For the past several months, conservative commentators have complained about overly generous unemployment benefits supposedly keeping workers on the sidelines, even though by most indications the job market has come roaring back from the pandemic-induced recession.

Osborne says any businesses who are still having trouble finding workers simply need to bite the bullet and offer better pay.

"That's why people don't want to work -- for you," Osborne tells the Carroll Times Herald.

Read the full interview with Osborne here.