Seattle Passes Ordinance For $15 Minimum Wage

Exactly! I started as a dishwasher at 16. made 4.25 an hour. Worked my ass off to save up for a truck and college. Was able to work hard and put myself thru college. Now my daughter is in high school and works at McDonalds with plenty of over 30 year olds that quite frankly do not deserve $15 an hour. This will only kill their jobs. one thing for sure though- anyone who owns a temp staffing company in Seattle is going to make a killing soon as this and obamacare will push a lot of employers to lay all staff off and make them be hired only thru the staffing. we shall how long this lasts...

 

http://www.smartmartinc.com

A few of these exist around town. I'd guess more of these will be popping up.

 

Yup... When I worked at McD's, us high school kids ran the show from 3 or 4 to closing.
The "day ladies" covered breakfast and lunch until we got there.

There was VERY little covering the gap between 18 y/o and 55 y/o.
The "day ladies" were simply housewives using the job to keep busy, maybe to supplement their husband's retirement.

Today, you don't see that. The age range is 17 to about 35, any time of day.

 

AT THE RATE WE ARE GOING IN THE STATES IM READY TO HAED UP NORTH.LOL

 

Mine I'm not sure, but I believe around the 30k/yr. My friend's job would still pay under $15/hr and still requires a degree.

 

The new USSA , common core , we will all be equal or the gov will make us that way I for one just cant fucking wait

 

Speaking of lazy....

These are proof of concept stores actually located in Tennessee, not far from where I work.

Agree or not, many retailers (already on the low end of pay in general) have already sought cost reduction methods such as automated check out lines. These automated stores merely move the rock down the road. Personally, I think the creator/developer of these retail outlets is an innovator and will begin reaping some benefits if the market continues to be adjusted in a way that's not natural. And hey the customer service sure won't be affected in a negative way be removing the help.

 

I need them all ,However Ill trade some H.E. for det. cord or 2 claymores for a full roll of trip wire.

 

The Seattle thing is more complicated than simply raising the minimum wage to $15. Saying that more money goes into the work force and local economy is also misleading. For some, this will be more true than others but longer term, it's going to drive the cost of living up for everyone and the bigger question is "will people be better off tomorrow?".

What makes the Seattle area unique is the number of people who have benefits, like 401(k), medical, dental, and so on. Most of this happens in the restaurant business. Seattle has been more progressive in that regard than many other cities-not perfect but more progressive. So while people might not make $15/hr in salary, they make over that in total compensation.

During the recession, the restaurant peeps lost about a billion meals. They also say those meals haven't come back to pre-recession levels. Obviously, restaurant owners have made some adjustments already. With wages increasing to $15 hr for everyone from the back of the house to the cooks to the wait staff, I can't see how some won't lose their jobs and some restaurants won't close. I believe you will see a reduction in tips as diners make up for the increase in costs.

The loss of benefits is something else to consider. Who pays the medical/dental/401(k)? Probably not employers. What happens to employees who are at or slightly above the $15/hr minimum when those who are at $9 end up at $15?

So will raising the minimum wage make people better off? if you work and live in Seattle, probably not. Will more money go into worker's hands? Yes. But more will also go toward living-is that really a win?

It's also true that costs for all will rise and quite possibly, jobs will be lost.

 

I HATE TO SEE WHAT GAS PRICES ARE GOING TO BE THERE IN SEATTLE!!Its going to be like Hawaii and worse then the bay area.And you will probably see more unions go on strike to drive up there middle class wages.

 

Simply put, it has to come from somewhere. Whatever "it" may be.

You'll also see employers do things to increase productivity and get more from less. Perhaps they will also cut costs in other ways, such as materials.

 

Bingo.

Minimum wage, as with welfare (excuse me, "transfer payments") are inherently inflationary.
In the short term, they will be able to buy more with their newfound wealth.
That is a double-whammy. The increased demand will drive higher prices.
Then as retail establishments are forced to increase prices to make up for the increased wages, the buying power of $15 will quickly revert to what it is today.... there will be no long-term gain for anyone.

 

I haven't read through the whole thread to know if it has been mentioned, but this is already happening in SeaTac(a suburb of Seattle that passed and already implemented the $15/hr Minimum Wage), and it's not going well. And why am I not surprised to see that ForeRunner thinks this a good idea...