, Salem, MA   June 26, 2013  Waging debate  Business owners fear
effects of minimum wage hike  For the owners of Bacci Chocolate
Design in Swampscott, a hike in the minimum wage could take a
real bite out of their profit margin.  “It’s going to eat into
everyone’s margins,” said Carlo Bacci, of Reading.  In fact, he
and his wife are so concerned about a Senate proposal, which
would gradually raise the minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2015,
that they submitted testimony against it to lawmakers.  Bacci
and his wife, Erin Calvo-Bacci, say they pay their new hires a
few dollars more than minimum wage. They operate a candy factory
on Columbia Street in Swampscott and The Chocolate Truffle candy
store in Reading. At this time of year, they have just three
employees in Swampscott, including one who is part time, and the
retail store employs about five people. In late August, the
business hires four to five seasonal employees to gear up for
the holidays.  If minimum wage goes up, however, the Baccis say
they’d need to