A federal judge ruled against small business owners seeking to temporarily halt part of Seattle’s looming $15 minimum wage law. As Shift reported, the International Franchise Association (IFA), along with five local franchisees, sought a preliminary injunction to suspend the portion of the $15 minimum wage law that classifies franchises—no matter the size—as big businesses, which places them at a financial disadvantage against other small businesses by putting them on a “faster track toward paying workers $15 an hour.”
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement following the ruling,
“This is a great day for Seattle’s fast food franchise workers. This ruling ensures that on April 1st, the minimum wage will go up for everyone in our city. Rather than investing in lawyers to prevent workers from earning higher wages, it is time for these large businesses to begin investing in a higher minimum wage for their employees.”
Notice how Murray snuck in the “large businesses” reference. It’s exactly why the local franchise owners filed the lawsuit—they are not “large businesses,” they are small businesses absurdly classified as large ones because of their franchise affiliation – and to meet the political objectives of Murray’s union campaign donors. Most of these franchise businesses have modest number of employees, yet are placed in the same category as businesses with more than 500 employees due to clear discrimination at the hands of the law’s authors.
The lawsuit will proceed to trial later this year. IFA President and CEO Steve Caldeira vowed to keep fighting. He said,
“The ordinance is clearly discriminatory and would harm hard-working small business owners who happen to be franchisees. Those who have set out to destroy the long-accepted, time-tested and proven franchise business model must be stopped.”
This state has lost it’s mind. The inmates have taken over the asylum.
IFA needs to leave it alone. We need the businesses here on the East-side far and away from King County. Though, the Court denied the injunction, it cannot stop the business from moving. I am waiting for the exodus and it should not be long.
Soon, the picking will be ripe for a Republican administratiion; not just the Governors’ mansion, but both chambers also.
We need the businesses here on the East-side far and away from King County.
You honestly believe if Subway and McD’s places in Seattle close, this will have any effect at all on such franchises elsewhere in the state? Why?
Soon, the picking will be ripe for a Republican administration; not just the Governors’ mansion, but both chambers also.
We voters enacted I-688 in 1998. Want to tell us about all of Washington state’s Republican governors since then?
The voters also passed I-601 and Gregoire got rid of it. tit4tat.
Uh, so what has that to do with Seattle’s raising of the minimum wage? How will this lead to election of a Republican to our Governor’s mansion for the first time in decades?
So by evoking I-688 what you’re saying is we had almost 40% inflation last year.
So by evoking I-688 what you’re saying is we had almost 40% inflation last year.
Per I-688, Washington state’s minimum wage went from $9.32/hour in 2014 to $9.47/hour in 2015. That’s a whopping 1.61% increase.
Numbers, how do they work?
They work like this: Sea-Tac $9.32/hr in 2014 to $15.00/hr in 2015. 37.9% increase. What’s the standard deviation on that one? You don’t know because as a liberal, you don’t use metrics that don’t support your claims. If Sea-Tac didn’t have almost 40% inflation last year, they’re violating the clearly expressed will of the voters who approved I-688
They work like this: Sea-Tac $9.32/hr in 2014 to $15.00/hr in 2015. 37.9% increase.
Seatac’s Proposition 1 had nothing to do with I-688, and I-688 in no way precludes local governments from raising local minimum wages.
What’s the standard deviation on that one?
To which population do you refer?
You don’t know because as a liberal, you don’t use metrics that don’t support your claims.
Unlike opponents of the higher minimum wage, who are always citing Washington state’s economic performance after I-688. They do this because it validates what the opponents of I-688 told us, right?
“If Sea-Tac didn’t have almost 40% inflation last year, they’re violating the clearly expressed predictions opponents of the higher minimum wage made about I-688.” There, fixed it for you.
(By the way, do you have any idea why Seatac hasn’t suffered 40% inflation? Nope, didn’t think so.)
Notice how Murray snuck in the “large businesses” reference.
He described McDonald’s, Subway, &c. as “large businesses”. Argue with that all you like, we here in Seattle will continue to find it amusing.
IFA President and CEO Steve Caldeira vowed to keep fighting.
He might profit more from taking Mayor Murray’s advice:
Rather than investing in lawyers to prevent workers from earning higher wages, it is time for these large businesses to begin investing in a higher minimum wage for their employees.
Meanwhile, the minimum wage in Seattle will go to $11/hour next month, not to $15/hour.
Darn, I wanted to see it at $15 so I can sand couple kids to work in Seattle as “flip burgers positions” so they can have extra money to spend.
Soon there will be a huge influx of people heading across the lake to eat at restaurants that are still open, it’ll be good for everyone, except those unemployed servers, cooks, dishwashers, and owners in Seattle.
Soon there will be a huge influx of people heading across the lake to eat at restaurants that are still open…
Do tell us all about the restaurant closures in Seatac, since the $15/hour minimum wage started there.
No closures just higher priced burgers. That is all. I am not sure if they had any layoffs. Your input is greatly appreciated. @tensor
Have you data showing the price of a burger in Seatac has risen above what the state’s average inflation rate would have caused?
I am not sure what your are saying. As far as if the price of burger in Seatac has risen above the State’s average inflation rate will not cause anything, because the airport transient are the one who gets affected by the prices. I would imagine that people in Seattle don’t go out to the airport to get a burgers so it doesn’t do anything to the State economy. Actually the employee will be paying more taxes since their wages is higher so it benefits the State more than the businesses. Yeah, it does benefit the employee to a point, but they need another P/T job to support their family. I know you cannot survive on a miserable $480 (net pay) per week. Rent alone is average of $1200 so that is almost 3 weeks of your wages. So, all that protest for $15/hr was not worth the energy, they should have gone for the $50,000/year. Agree?
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People should be paid at least $50,000 per year to survive in WA, correct me if I am wrong. Do I need evidence? Let me know.
I am not sure what your are saying.
I was asking if you had any data to validate your claim of “higher priced burgers” in Seatac as result of that city’s voters having raised their local minimum wage to $15/hour.
I would imagine that people in Seattle don’t go out to the airport to get a burgers so it doesn’t do anything to the State economy.
I travel by air fairly frequently, and usually when I take a commercial flight from Seatac airport, I have a full meal at a restaurant there before I board the aircraft. I imagine many other travelers do as well.
I cannot validate that because I don’t travel in WA frequently. What I meant ,about people from Seattle going out to airport, was that people don’t just go out to the airport and eat in without having to fly out or work there.
Of course not. Nobody will travel fifteen miles from a city filled with great local restaurants, just to get a burger. (You might want to share that with other commenters here, who seem honestly to believe this will happen.)
You have my E-mail… Drop a line, if you feel comfortable E-mailing me.
He’s trying to make a point that the price of burgers didn’t go up, but since he didn’t pay attention when this was going on he doesn’t know how bad people got screwed. The price of the burger might have gone up, or not, but what did happen is employees lost perks like free parking, and now make close to the same money, but it’s all good because in SeaTac the food prices haven’t exploded.
The price of the burger might have gone up, or not,
Yeah? Who cares about data or consequences? We’ve got anonymous anecdotes!
but what did happen is employees lost perks like free parking, and now make close to the same money,
Anecdotes brought to you by the Washington Policy Center, which used a story in Seattle Magazine about the large number of restaurants which have opened in Seattle recently, as the basis for a blog post about how a few restaurants closing here must must must must must be because of the minimum wage increase which hasn’t yet happened. Yeah, they’re a reliable source of economic information.
We’re right back to the point of where you should have paid attention. It’s your own fault you don’t know what happened, or saw the interviews, get over it. Also, I don’t think anecdote means what you think it means, and you really need to try and focus, you’re jumping back and forth between two different stories, that usually means people are grasping at straws to try and make a point that just isn’t there.
So, has any restaurant in Seatac closed because of the $15/hour minimum wage there? If not, what’s the basis for your prediction that restaurants in Seattle would close because of our impending $15/hour minimum wage here?
Keep at it cupcake, you’ll get that one wagon circled eventually.
Before or after that “huge influx of people” arrives?
I don’t think anecdote means what you think it means…
And, in a previous thread, it was “anonymous” you got wrong. Since you’re not paying me $15/hour, I really don’t have time to drag you through the dictionary, one commonly-used word t a a time.
Sometimes, people win some and lose some as well. You can’t have both higher wages and free parking. So, now the businesses cut free parking for employees and gave the money to the employee to pay for themselves. Pretty much the company did not lose out, even Steven.
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If I were protesting to raise minimum wages I would have gone to the $50,000/yr mark, anything below that is still poverty level because you will need two jobs to have decent home and feed the family. $50,000/yr minimum wage after taxes is perfect for WA, they can live comfortable and still have extra money.
Keep bleating about that, you’ve proven you haven’t kept up with that subject, and you still want to derail to conversation.
Do tell us all about the restaurant closures in Seatac, since the $15/hour minimum wage started there.
tensor, please don’t get angry, we don’t want you to get mentally sick over this. I will answer about the “restaurant closures in Seatac”. Perhaps you keep forgetting that that question is answered “no restaurants have closed in Seatac”. If you keep repeating the same thing more than twice there is truly something wrong. My advice is get an MRI done or start taking more supplements and a daily dose of Ginko Biloba. You are only in your 20nies and your mental retainability is one of a 70 years old person.
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On a serious note, If you can’t afford the supplements please don’t be shy, either ask for entitlements, or I will be more than willing to send you $80 per month through Western Union or to your favorite money transfer agent. I am here to help you, I don’t mind to redistribute my wealth, I do feel sorry for you and I want to help.
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Have you heard of these mantras before?
1. It is freedom of speech to bash a Christian and bigotry to bash a LGBT member.
2. Republicans are for the wealthy and they are racist, women haters, Christian gun nut lover, war mongers, and tax cutting nut cases. They are also unfair to poor people because the REP insist that the poor have work and to stop burdening the government.
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3. Democrats are for the people, love the poor, increase taxes, increase the national spending by almost 300% in 7 years, and give money freely to make all people depending on the government.
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Did you know that are more Republican women in the government than the Democrats? What is wrong with that picture? I thought REP were women haters.
Perhaps you keep forgetting that that question is answered “no restaurants have closed in Seatac”.
I know that answer. It’s scooter who can’t see the relevance of it, as he boldly declares Seattle will suffer the fate which Seatac did not. Why he believes this, nobody else knows, and he’s not saying. He just spouts verbal abuse at those of us who question his contrafactual predictions.
Well, let him be. He has a right to say whatever he wants.
He has a right to say whatever he wants.
Of course he does; I’m just trying to find the source of this idea, that raising the minimum wage by a little will reduce employment by a lot. We know, from our experiences statewide after I-688, and recent events after Seatac’s Proposition 1, that there is no factual basis for it, so why do commenters here keep repeating it as if were somehow real?
You can’t just argue and go against tensor, he knows best he learned from his mentors. He doesn’t recognize your voice you are calling on the wrong flock. A flock is loyal to the voice that is known and etched in their small brains. In other words, anyone that has not the same thinking as them is just plain crazy, so they will keep asking the same questions over and over again or they will not respond if it’s not in their manuscript. it is like trying to talk to a rock.
tensor, everything that I read about you is very selfish, your world revolves around WA State. What about the rest of the nation? Perhaps your way of thinking is faulty, always thinking of WA and not the rest of the country. Did you know what happens to the rest of the country will affect WA as well?
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You need to start thinking outside the WA Box and see the true picture. If the federal government keep spending the way they are spending, each state will be affected, including WA.
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Sometimes, I can’t help thinking that you believe your state is the only one in existance, and there is no actual federal government or other 49 states. Again! Whatever happens at federal level it will affect you as well, perhaps not today but it will catch-up.
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I would love to see how you will react when WA will convince you to charge a carbon tax to those nasty corporations and yourselves, and the federal goverment mandates the same carbon tax to your state, and the rest of the country, no, it will not be a republican that will pass that carbon tax, but the truthful, loyal, liberal comrades that know best for the people. Keep on munching on that nasty liberal rug.
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WAKE UP AND START THINKING ABOUT THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.
tensor, everything that I read about you is very selfish, your world revolves around WA State.
I’m citing Washington state’s history and economy because the topic of this post is economic policy here in Washington state. If we have a post about the federal minimum wage, that would be the place to talk about “THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.”
Did you know what happens to the rest of the country will affect WA as well?
Perhaps.
OK, let’s look at the two states which border Washington.
State, Minimum Wage (2014), Per-Capita Income (2014)
Idaho, $7.25/hour, $33,749
Oregon, $9.10/hour, $38,786
Washington, $9.32/hour, $45,413
Please let us know if a subtle pattern begins to appear…
These Seattle socialist are ether economically illiterate or just plan evil!
It will never be enough. King County should just start the minimum wage conversation at $20.00 an hour. Let’s just see what happens. Right? A test lab for the Republic.
Close the doors, April 1st Easter baskets full of pink slips …Sad