*And if he gets that minimum wage hike he’ll be permanently on food stamps, medicade, housing subsidies, winter utilities subsidy, and welfare as he’ll be unemployed…This is unless he can compete with the robot that replaced him….
Logic would dictate, as would demographics, that any “federal minimum wage” should include regional variance, like tying to economies in different SMSAs (Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas), to match that minimum wage to regional cost of living, as well as business volume and potential to pay wages relative to the ACTUAL income of the business. An across the board national minimum wage makes no sense economically for business, OR from a “survivable” minimum needed by employees to meet their COL obligations. Hmmm, gee, that’s exactly what union contracts long did, along with focusing even more on working conditions and benefits, rather than salary per se. (My federal union, btw, had absolutely NO CONTROL over salaries set by Congress, but we COULD improve working conditions, like “flex-time”, health coverage availability, and safety/environmental conditions.)
“So how carefully did Enoki, BrassOrchid and SkeptiCal read that paper given by Uncle Joe?”I doubt they actually read it. The only point the paper asserted was regarding the effect of minimum wage increases on inflation. Minimum wage increases have almost no effect on overall prices. They have more effect on food prices, but less than the actual increase, so it’s hard to argue that people getting a raise through a minimum wage increase are falling behind. The paper doesn’t attempt to address employment rates.Contrary to the responses, there is no strong evidence that minimum wage increases kill jobs, though they do seem push teenagers out of the workforce in favor of slightly older workers. The strange problem with that is that it also can increase high school drop out rates because students incorrectly some assume they can get a job without graduating.
“The increased cost of labor must be passed on to the consumer in some form. It is not free.”Or it can result in slightly lower profits for investors. I’ll leave yo to figure out whether wages or the stock markets are at a healthy level.
Sorry Harley, that’s just a talking points opinion piece. Dunkleberg makes no attempt to back up any of his claims. He dismisses studies that don’t agree with his claims as “contrary to common sense”. That’s some weak tea, as far as I’m concerned.
" Working Poor" should be an oxymoron. It is simply untrue that raising the minimum wage to a living wage kills jobs. If employers could get by without those people they wouldn’t have hired them in the first place. It might make a hamburger cost $3.20 instead of $3.00, primarily because owners would use it as an excuse to put more money in their own pockets, but it would pump more money into the economy and pump up the numbers in a middle class that is disappearing.
TCulberson over 10 years ago
Will raising min wage be a gain, or will rising costs eat up any gain? Does anyone know of any studies?
Enoki over 10 years ago
*And if he gets that minimum wage hike he’ll be permanently on food stamps, medicade, housing subsidies, winter utilities subsidy, and welfare as he’ll be unemployed…This is unless he can compete with the robot that replaced him….
Dtroutma over 10 years ago
Logic would dictate, as would demographics, that any “federal minimum wage” should include regional variance, like tying to economies in different SMSAs (Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas), to match that minimum wage to regional cost of living, as well as business volume and potential to pay wages relative to the ACTUAL income of the business. An across the board national minimum wage makes no sense economically for business, OR from a “survivable” minimum needed by employees to meet their COL obligations. Hmmm, gee, that’s exactly what union contracts long did, along with focusing even more on working conditions and benefits, rather than salary per se. (My federal union, btw, had absolutely NO CONTROL over salaries set by Congress, but we COULD improve working conditions, like “flex-time”, health coverage availability, and safety/environmental conditions.)
Uncle Joe Premium Member over 10 years ago
“So how carefully did Enoki, BrassOrchid and SkeptiCal read that paper given by Uncle Joe?”I doubt they actually read it. The only point the paper asserted was regarding the effect of minimum wage increases on inflation. Minimum wage increases have almost no effect on overall prices. They have more effect on food prices, but less than the actual increase, so it’s hard to argue that people getting a raise through a minimum wage increase are falling behind. The paper doesn’t attempt to address employment rates.Contrary to the responses, there is no strong evidence that minimum wage increases kill jobs, though they do seem push teenagers out of the workforce in favor of slightly older workers. The strange problem with that is that it also can increase high school drop out rates because students incorrectly some assume they can get a job without graduating.
Uncle Joe Premium Member over 10 years ago
“The increased cost of labor must be passed on to the consumer in some form. It is not free.”Or it can result in slightly lower profits for investors. I’ll leave yo to figure out whether wages or the stock markets are at a healthy level.
Uncle Joe Premium Member over 10 years ago
Sorry Harley, that’s just a talking points opinion piece. Dunkleberg makes no attempt to back up any of his claims. He dismisses studies that don’t agree with his claims as “contrary to common sense”. That’s some weak tea, as far as I’m concerned.
Diane Lee Premium Member over 10 years ago
" Working Poor" should be an oxymoron. It is simply untrue that raising the minimum wage to a living wage kills jobs. If employers could get by without those people they wouldn’t have hired them in the first place. It might make a hamburger cost $3.20 instead of $3.00, primarily because owners would use it as an excuse to put more money in their own pockets, but it would pump more money into the economy and pump up the numbers in a middle class that is disappearing.