Thoughts on the minimum wage hike that is set to begin in 2020?

[Mai72]

Twenty-four states are poised to raise the minimum wage via yearly installments until they reach $15 an hour. I live in NJ and this is exactly what we are doing. TBH, $15 an hour isn't much money, but at least it's a step in the right direction. What will be interesting is to see if this pushes NJ to self serve gas or not. $15 might be too much money to pay someone to pump gas. The place that i go to get gas has 2-3 attendants. Or, maybe not? Also, what will happen to large businesses like Walmart and McDonald's. Will they user bring in self automation more quickly so they can off set the costs? Will they lay off say 20% of their workforce so they can save money? And, what about the mom and pop stores? Will they be able to pay their staff $15 an hour? What about benefits like health insurance? Will most companies omit health coverage because $15 an hour is having a negative impact on their bottom line? IMO, much of how business reacts to this is going to largely depend on the economy. If we are going thru a recession it's going to be a very difficult process. If the economy is doing well I think the transition will be easier. Thoughts?

24 states will raise the minimum wage in 2020

Workers rejoice. The minimum wage is set to go up in 72 US jurisdictions in 2020. The increases will be in 24 states and 48 cities and counties.

www.cnn.com

 

[ch33zw1z]

IMO, too little too late. TMK, minimum wage hasn't kept up with inflation for a long time. This is a good move overall, just shoulda happened long ago.

 

[Mai72]

IMO, too little too late. TMK, minimum wage hasn't kept up with inflation for a long time. This is a good move overall, just shoulda happened long ago.

Oh, I agree. At my gas station there are a few that are in their 40's. How the hell do they survive on $11 an hour? Especially in NJ. And, this is the issue. Many of the people who could be affected are grown adults. They aren't teenagers. They are 30, 40 and 50 year old men and women.

 

[herm0016]

its only 11.10 here right now, and there is more and more automation. ordering at mcd, self checkout, cleaning robots at walmart, etc. yes, you will see further automation.

mom and pops will have trouble, and it will be harder for people starting out in the work force to get jobs. you will see prices rise.

 

[herm0016]

Oh, I agree. At my gas station there are a few that are in their 40's. How the hell do they survive on $11 an hour? Especially in NJ. And, this is the issue. Many of the people who could be affected are grown adults. They aren't teenagers. They are 30, 40 and 50 year old men and women.

its sad that they have not figured out how to adapt from other jobs that may have gone away, or they just don't have the ambition to get the training or knowledge they need to do more than pump gas or work a checkout.

 

[ch33zw1z]

its sad that they have not figured out how to adapt from other jobs that may have gone away, or they just don't have the ambition to get the training or knowledge they need to do more than pump gas or work a checkout.

The same could be said for quite a few legacy positions that have been offshored or automated away. It's sad they haven't learned to do more than mine coal or work an assembly line.

Maybe, just maybe, there's more to it than you think.

 

[Vic]

its only 11.10 here right now, and there is more and more automation. ordering at mcd, self checkout, cleaning robots at walmart, etc. yes, you will see further automation.

mom and pops will have trouble, and it will be harder for people starting out in the work force to get jobs. you will see prices rise.

Prices have always been rising. Automation has always been increasing. Even when the minimum wage hasn't. That's because prices are controlled by the market, and automation by technological progress. And neither by the minimum wage.

 

[WelshBloke]

Prices have always been rising. Automation has always been increasing. Even when the minimum wage hasn't. That's because prices are controlled by the market, and automation by technological progress. And neither by the minimum wage.

All our big chain fast food places (McDonald's, Kentucky, burgerking...) have the automated touchscreen ordering systems, they still seem to have the same amount of people working behind the counter though.

 

[Maxima1]

Twenty-four states are poised to raise the minimum wage via yearly installments until they reach $15 an hour. I live in NJ and this is exactly what we are doing. TBH, $15 an hour isn't much money, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

$15 will be the new $11 with the push from the public sector.

Chicago Teachers’ Strike, Longest in Decades, Ends (Published 2019)

Teachers in Chicago Public Schools, the country’s third-largest district, said they would return to school after an 11-day walkout.

www.nytimes.com

The city agreed to spend millions of dollars on reducing class sizes; promised to pay for hundreds more social workers, nurses and librarians; and approved a 16 percent salary increase over the coming five years.

What will be interesting is to see if this pushes NJ to self serve gas or not. $15 might be too much money to pay someone to pump gas. The place that i go to get gas has 2-3 attendants.

Those laws should have been phased out looong ago.

 

[Vic]

All our big chain fast food places (McDonald's, Kentucky, burgerking...) have the automated touchscreen ordering systems, they still seem to have the same amount of people working behind the counter though.

It's because prices, costs, and automation are only loosely correlated, and not at all directly correlated as some like to argue (when it suits them).

 

[compcons]

I am still stuck on the fact that there are places that have people who pump gas. I haven't seen that for about 30 years here.

 

[Vic]

I am still stuck on the fact that there are places that have people who pump gas. I haven't seen that for about 30 years here.

Only NJ and Oregon still require full service gas. I live in Oregon. We've been trying to change it for years, but it's just not happening. And especially not now that Costco has perfected the full service gas assembly line.

 

[Pohemi]

I am still stuck on the fact that there are places that have people who pump gas. I haven't seen that for about 30 years here.

Some places/states it is required by law, unfortunately. Seems silly to me.

 

[feralkid]

its sad that they have not figured out how to adapt from other jobs that may have gone away, or they just don't have the ambition to get the training or knowledge they need to do more than pump gas or work a checkout.

Spoken like a true compassionate conservative.

"Bootstraps...Get Your Red-Hot Bootsraps Right Here, Folks!"

 

[Vic]

Spoken like a true compassionate conservative.

"Bootstraps...Get Your Red-Hot Bootsraps Right Here, Folks!"

And as cheezwiz pointed out, the bootstraps concern always seems to be tribally limited, ie urban/suburban workers pumping gas, flipping burgers, and working checkouts need bootstraps, not govt policy. While rural/small town laborers like coal miners, timber workers, and factory workers need drastic and sweeping govt policy to protect their jobs and wages.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

You will continue to see small businesses close or sell their assets to megacorporations. Soon, there will be only one which will have an Orange Demon as leader.

Load 16 ton, what do I get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
St Peter dontcha' call me cuz I cain't go
I owe my soul to the Orange Demon store.

 

[shortylickens]

My Opinion That I Cant Prove:

It will just cause a rise in prices of things the middle class needs. Or cause a loss of jobs.

 

[shortylickens]

Spoken like a true compassionate conservative.

"Bootstraps...Get Your Red-Hot Bootsraps Right Here, Folks!"

The irony is it seems to be mostly uneducated and undereducated menial laborers that vote Republican in mass numbers.
Or maybe not irony. Maybe Donald or Fox News is really good at brainwashing those people because they dont have higher education.
Maybe.

 

[feralkid]

The irony is it seems to be mostly uneducated and undereducated menial laborers that vote Republican in mass numbers.
Or maybe not irony. Maybe Donald or Fox News is really good at brainwashing those people because they dont have higher education.
Maybe.

That's a BINGO.

 

[Meghan54]

My Opinion That I Cant Prove:

It will just cause a rise in prices of things the middle class needs. Or cause a loss of jobs.

I see these arguments against raising the min. wage every time it comes up. Got a question for you.....how badly did our economy collapse when we raised the min. wage the other times? Where were the massive price increases and/or loss of jobs. Should be easy to show.....the min. wage has been increased a few times in history.....since you believe a loss of jobs will happen, and I guess you think they'll be permanent and never be regained or why else even bring that up in the first place, please show me the permanent loss of jobs from the min. wage increases we've already had in our history.

I'll wait.

 

[alcoholbob]

Without strong anti-trust enforcement from the federal government, all a high minimum wage is going to do is drive small business retail out of business and accelerate the consolidation that's already going on in this industry into e-commerce giants and create more contract work.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Without strong anti-trust enforcement from the federal government, all a high minimum wage is going to do is drive small business retail out of business and accelerate the consolidation that's already going on in this industry into e-commerce giants and create more contract work.

h well..….you get what you vote for....

 

[Maxima1]

Without strong anti-trust enforcement from the federal government, all a high minimum wage is going to do is drive small business retail out of business and accelerate the consolidation that's already going on in this industry into e-commerce giants and create more contract work.

Compensation of college educated and skilled labor keeps rising along with inflation, while minimum wage has not kept up. Efficiency is only bad if our government doesn't tax the owners of capital enough.

 

[alcoholbob]

Compensation of college educated and skilled labor keeps rising along with inflation, while minimum wage has not kept up. Efficiency is only bad if our government doesn't tax the owners of capital enough.

I'd argue it's not really keeping up with the rising cost of living--housing, education, and health care. An IBM engineer in the 70s living in California had a much better standard of living than even some Facebook, Google, or Apple engineer making 400k today. Back then they could buy a house locally with maybe 2 years wages (pre-tax), today even if you make 400k it costs you more like 6 years wages (pre-tax) to buy a damn house locally--sometimes it's the same house that was built in the 60s or 70s lol. Once you consider post-tax earnings it's even worse.

 

[Maxima1]

I'd argue it's not really keeping up with the rising cost of living--housing, education, and health care. An IBM engineer in the 70s living in California had a much better standard of living than even some Facebook, Google, or Apple engineer making 400k today. Back then they could buy a house locally with maybe 2 years wages (pre-tax), today even if you make 400k it costs you more like 6 years wages (pre-tax) to buy a damn house locally--sometimes it's the same house that was built in the 60s or 70s lol. Once you consider post-tax earnings it's even worse.

CA has a huge problem with housing, but it hits the poorest the hardest by far. The people leaving in droves are around $30K and under. CA has raised it, but it's still being phased in. Are you against the raises here? Can you explain why that shouldn't occur when "middle class" careers like teachers and cops are hurdling past six figures for both earnings and retirement?