Seattle passes $15 minimum wage

[QuantumPion]

I'm not sure I understand how inflation is a lie, if inflation causes you to pay more for those things?

The reason he said the minimum wage should be indexed to inflation, is because minimum wage is supposed to represent the bottom amount you need to live off of, so its inherent. You then peg it to inflation, so you dont have to vote every time you want to raise it.

Inflation is not a lie, its a tax levied by the government, so it does not have to raise taxes explicitly.

Inflation isn't a lie but what also must be considered is the relative decrease in price of basic goods like food and clothes due to increases in productivity and relative increase in standard of living (high speed internet, smartphones, etc).

Immigrants flock to the US to work for less than minimum wage with families of 10 and "survive" just fine. Far better than whereever they originated from even. How? They eat cheap home cooked bulk food and pack multiple families into small apartments. You can live on far less than the minimum wage quite easily, you just can't have a middle class standard of living. Hell, I did it for 4 years when I was in college.

 

[realibrad]

Inflation isn't a lie but what also must be considered is the relative decrease in price of basic goods like food and clothes due to increases in productivity and relative increase in standard of living (high speed internet, smartphones, etc).

Immigrants flock to the US to work for less than minimum wage with families of 10 and "survive" just fine. Far better than whereever they originated from even. How? They eat cheap home cooked bulk food and pack multiple families into small apartments. You can live on far less than the minimum wage quite easily, you just can't have a middle class standard of living. Hell, I did it for 4 years when I was in college.

Oh hey you are preaching to the choir there. I think most CBO models don't take into account how life has changed. It used to be that air conditions were for middle and up, but now not many would say that the poor should not be able to afford an AC. I would much rather be Poor today, than lower middle of 40 years ago.

I just meant that his view on inflation as a lie was wrong.

 

[CitizenKain]

Why not $20?

Why don't people work for free for the glory of their capitalist masters?

 

[realibrad]

Why don't people work for free for the glory of their capitalist masters?

Employers who want to pay the least amount for their employees, Evil capitalist Masters.

Employees who want to get paid the most, good.

 

[Fern]

I was wondering, is it true that you don't have to pay waiters and waitresses in America? They have to work for tips only? or, the owners have that option at least.

No. There are both federal and state minimums. I'm too lazy to look it up now but there's a requirement that employers must pay something like $2.50 in wages. There's also a requirement that the $2.50 plus reported tips must equal at least the 'normal' minimum wage or the the employer will have to up the $2.50 until it does.

Bottom line - waiters and waitresses make the same minimum wage as everyone else.

It used to be true that an employer could calculate a waiter's or waitresses tips when determining whether that employee made minimum wage. I'm not sure if any states still use that method though.

Yeah, it's still used.

Fern

 

[Fern]

This will make the rich Republicans in here have a brain hemorrhage.

I don't see why. Seattle can do what it wants. Who cares other than those who live/work in Seattle?

I thought Seattle was quite expensive anyway so I doubt it has a huge effect.

Fern

 

[shady28]

6-2-2014

http://news.yahoo.com/seattle-council-passes-15-minimum-wage-224406450--finance.html

Seattle council passes $15 minimum wage

The Seattle City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Monday that gradually increases the minimum wage in the city to $15, which would make it the highest in the nation.

Councilmember Tom Rasmussen said "Seattle wants to stop the race to the bottom in wages" and address the "widening gap between the rich and the poor."

This gets phased in.

Business with > 500 employees and doesn't provide health insurance, 3 years.
Business with > 500 employees and provides health coverage, 4 years.
Business < 500 employees ** 7 years **

It'll be the year 2022 before this fully kicks in.

That implies a lot of different things. The law may not make it to 2022. The law may change between now and then. And it may be obsolete by then (inflation / currency may make higher increases necessary).

Bottom line is, this isn't as radical as it appears.

 

[irishScott]

Probably not. Most jobs that involve such low wages are location dependent service jobs. It's not like mcdonalds can relocate their Seattle stores and still sell to people in Seattle. I predict a modest rise in prices in sectors dominated by low wage employees and maybe an uptick in teen unemployment along with massive wage gains for everyone else affected. Considering the phased nature of this, most will likely be able to be confused with statistical noise. This is largely related to outcomes seen in the economics literature.

If you'd like id even venture a guess as to what those changes would be more concretely. What are your predictions and why?

My "predictions" are what the fast food CEOs say they're already doing over far more miniscule increases.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fast-food-ceo-minimum-wage-172542952.html

I could also see touch screens replacing cashiers, thereby killing jobs even further.

 

[fskimospy]

My "predictions" are what the fast food CEOs say they're already doing over far more miniscule increases.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fast-food-ceo-minimum-wage-172542952.html

I could also see touch screens replacing cashiers, thereby killing jobs even further.

You can take anecdotal evidence, I'll take the numbers.

 

[Vic]

My "predictions" are what the fast food CEOs say they're already doing over far more miniscule increases.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fast-food-ceo-minimum-wage-172542952.html

I could also see touch screens replacing cashiers, thereby killing jobs even further.

Dick's might raise their prices, but they're not closing.

 

[Moonbeam]

Hamburgers are around 9 pounds, or the ones I see.

 

[davmat787]

Dick's might raise their prices, but they're not closing.

Dick's hasn't been good for decade or two, they seem to get by on nostalgia. And what's with their limp fries?

 

[dmcowen674]

Dick's might raise their prices, but they're not closing.

They could put the 19 back on the buildings, instead of 19 cents it's 19 dollars for a hamburger.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

$15? Seriously? What a joke. Why should these people be handed a f ing thing? I live comfortably because I've never been afraid to work hard and I learned a trade. My life is literally on the line every day I go to work. These mfers need to get out and apply themselves if they want what the rest of us have worked hard for. I feel bad for those that are disabled or something and they can't do better. I'm all for for helping those truly in need with government programs. But the lazy m'fers that want the same living conditions I enjoy can go f themselves.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

F it. Make it $25 and I'll quit my dangerous job and flip burgers. I mean why bust my hump and put myself in danger when I can just flip burgers for a living. I'll make a hell of a fry cook. Hopefully I'd qualify for free healthcare as well so I won't have to pay for it myself any longer.

 

[glenn1]

Seattle council passes $15 minimum wage

Good, it's about time that the formerly middle class of Seattle have jobs. Hopefully next time I'm there on business travel the restaurants can get my order right since there'll be a guy with a Bachelor's cooking it instead of a high school dropout. Maybe I'll have a former Boeing union guy washing my dishes once they finally get fed up and move production to South Carolina.