About that $15/hr hamburger flipper minimum wage

[William Thornton]

Fast food workers, that would be the taco stuffers who work for big bidness (more than 30 locations) get the big raise in some locales. Others do not. Typical and arbitrary gummit selection of winners and losers.

But, why begrudge a hardworking, low skill McD employee? Maybe the teen, the summer job crowd, the extra income worker should have such pay. I'm curious, though, about unintended consequences.

Chick-fil-A has motivated, happy workers at the rate they pay. They will get more pay. CFA customers will pay more, I suppose.

Other chains have less motivated, less satisfied workers who will get that instant raise without any additional production or responsibilities. At a rate of $15/hr more people will be interested in the desultory fast food workers' jobs and, unless some laws of economics are repealed, competition will increase. Will the current marginal worker, the one who isn't motivated and productive lose in competition and make $0/hr instead of the current $8/hr or future $15/hr? Will the worker with tattoos lose to the clean cut newbie who knows how to show up on time? Why shouldn't employers hire and employ the best, most productive and motivated workers?

Brave new world that might not be so friendly.

When I talk to managers, the conversation almost always gets to the difficulty in hiring employees with the most basic skills and habits. Show up on time. Be courteous. Dress appropriately. Carry out simple tasks. Perform without supervision. Higher pay means more competition for the same work, which means some will lose. The marginal worker will lose the higher pay job and have to migrate to a lower minimum wage job not favored by gummit for an increase.

Guess they will work it out, or not work it out.

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: William, you cover some important bases on this one.

[Dave Roberts]

I keep advocating that Congress go back to 1960 (when the minimum wage went to $1/hr) and index the wage for inflation to be adjusted annually just as is Social Security and Veterans' Retirement. That would make the current minimum wage $9.99. Get the politics out of this altogether.

[William Thornton]

[Dave Roberts]

[Tim Bonney]

This is an interesting graphic from Facebook. If completely accurate, we have a serious problem with costs being inflated well beyond wages.

[Haruo]

The question is, complete accuracy in what sense? I have a feeling it overstates the case, but it's just a feeling, and I frankly don't know how to get at the truth if there is such a thing in a field like this.

[Tim Bonney]

[Haruo]

I agree that medical insurance (and medical care), and college tuition (if not offset by huge scholarships), have increased drastically in comparison to incomes. Not so sure about the wages and the food and housing part. And there are things (like smartphones) that even most homeless folks have now that no one had in 1978... I think food and housing may well have gone up in relation to wages, but I doubt the idea that it's three times more now than then (if one is using the same criteria to measure wage increases).

And I do think that Republican policies have had more to do with the disparities than have Democrat ones, but I also think that frustration over these facts is part of what fuels Republican success in Congressional elections.

[Haruo]

And of course, I'm biased by the fact that I make 10¢ an hour MORE than the minimum... plus, thanks to the union, a bit more evenings and Sundays...

[Tim Bonney]

[William Thornton]

I purposefully eschewed partisan stuff in the $15/hr thing, wondering what might happen if we had such a minimum. The recent imposition is the answer to any macroeconomic plan, trickle down or other such. I'm thinking initially that the gummit will have been found to have selected winners and, by default, losers.

[Tim Bonney]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]

Point well taken Ed that Democratic candidates take big business bucks too. It is one of the reasons I think we need a mainstream middle of the road viable third party. We need some group with a fresh slate that isn't just the same people passing the ball back and forth each election.

Problem? I don't know how it is ever going to happen.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Sandy]

[Tim Bonney]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Sandy]

[Tim Bonney]