In the aftermath of the City Council’s vote to raise Seattle’s minimum wage by more than 60% – under threat of a union-sponsored initiative that would certainly be used against any city council member who dared vote against labor – it is worth again reviewing a letter published two months ago by Seattle celebrity chef Tom Douglas.
It should have been required reading by those who were stampeded into voting for this misguided measure, but clearly was not.
For those who didn’t follow his role in this debate, Douglas supports a minimum wage increase, and put his money where his mouth is last year by raising the wages of his kitchen (or back-of-the-house) employees. However, he had extreme concerns about the direction that Mayor Ed Murray and the city council were heading without much thought for the economic consequences of their clearly political vote. Douglas expressed his concerns in an open letter to the public.
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Here are five quotes penned by Douglas worth remembering.
1. On an across-the-board $15 minimum wage increasing prices for consumers:
“That is a $5 million+ direct price hike annually on our menus and consequently to our customers. That is more than double our bottom line before taxes and reinvestment. In other words there is no way for us to absorb this expense in-house. This also does not reflect price increases we are likely to receive from our farmers, dry goods vendors and beverage distributors. This price increase is hugely inflationary to the restaurant business and is irresponsible when considering business people who have long-term leases and investments based on prior economic models.”
2. On the $15 minimum impacting all aspects of day-to-day life:
“This is going to touch everybody soon, so I suggest you do your own math and see where it might affect your life. Can or will your employer still afford health care? Staff meals? Everything you buy from local produce to rent to childcare to your own meals out on the town will be affected. We do know that the City Council and Mayor’s office will still make their wage and enjoy their health and retirement benefits without fail.
3. On the $15 minimum wage as a sign of Seattle elected officials’ lack of respect for taxpayers and businesses:
“I would be lying to say that I’m not concerned with the outcome of this national experiment happening in the Seattle market. It is also not lost on me that our City Council and Mayor’s office have very little small business experience. While they have budgets to live by, they are not playing with their own cash. Parking meter fees, B&O tax dollars, excise “sales” taxes and fees collected from tourist and business travelers and the rest of us are chess pieces to be moved on a board, but the cost of failure is ours, the tax payers. Raises and benefits given to city workers are from our tax pockets. They might get voted out of office for their actions and decrees, but they won’t go bankrupt. It is inherently easier to spend other people’s money than the gut check of investing your last dime into a dream.
4. On how the $15 minimum wage perpetuates an already harsh economic reality of the 21st century:
“When a local has to choose where to dine, they are now faced with a 520 bridge toll, increased parking rates and hours, future tunnel tolls, terrible traffic jams and now a possible 20%+ menu inflation. It’s not hard to imagine them choosing to stay at home. In fact, many already have because of another trend….on line shopping. We began to feel the effects of this trend in 2013 and don’t see it stopping anytime soon. When the modern American shopping center was born right here at Northgate Mall and proliferated to suburbs around the nation, many downtown cores were decimated. In a recent chat with a downtown department store owner, there is serious concern that in-store foot traffic will decrease by 50% between 2010 and 2020. That is what their models are showing with the extrapolation for us being if you’re not coming downtown to shop you’re probably not going downtown for dinner either.
5. On how the $15 minimum wage is an unbearable tax on businesses:
“It is clear to me that this is a direct tax on restaurants like we were some sort of vice like tobacco or marijuana. It is also a thinly veiled tax grab for the city. First the lusty new parking rates and now 20 to 25 percent more sales taxes on increased menu pricing. Shel Silverstein wrote an elegant morality tale called “The Giving Tree” and I’m afraid our leaders have not read it recently. Seattle’s City Council and Mayor attribute their election to the support of organized labor while we as a community are being eaten alive, limb by limb… This minimum wage issue could, depending on the outcome, be the most serious threat to our ability to compete so far.”
Now Seattle gets to watch this grand experiment unfold.
Let the Detriotification of Seattle begin! You businesses can come on down to Pierce county!
They are welcome in Clark County, too!!! Come on down! Cheaper building rents, cheaper housing and you can afford your staffing – all near the mighty Columbia river.
Bremerton is just a ferry ride away! VERY low rent! And a newly renovated downtown! We need something other than the Shipyard! Please!
Without a doubt, the worst decision ever made! Way to jack up costs in Seattle! Now tourists will go to other cities to spend their money, locals will move out of the area because they can’t afford it anymore, well known businesses will move out of county or shrivel up and die, thousands will be unemployed due to inability to pay everyone, and Seattle’s tax income will drop through the floor! Not to mention the numerous amounts of college students at UW that will be transferring to a school they can afford. Why am I surprised that a group of uneducated, uninformed politicians managed to shoot themselves in the foot by destroying the city?
Bye!
Yep. My son and I used to drive from north Idaho to Seattle to watch the Mariners and make a weekend out of it, generally twice a year, catching a Saturday night and Sunday matinee game before heading home. When one considers the cost of the tickets, (about 180 dollars on average for two games, two seats) plus the 50 dollars spent on food at the stadium per day, plus dinner, motel, breakfast the next day, parking and gas, the weekend costs nearly 500 dollars. Well, last time I looked into it, the motel went from 150 a night to 225. The restaurants are more expensive, gas is higher, game tickets are higher, parking is higher. And now the minimum age hike is going to make things even more expensive. Meanwhile, those of us who don’t earn minimum wage are taking a pay cut as we have to pay the higher prices of unskilled labor. And so we are staying home and watching the games on TV. That’s a thousand or so fewer dollars Seattle is getting from this household. I wonder how many thousands of other are making the same decision?
Well and now the people who currently make more than $15/hr will feel like they need a wage increase . Not fair to the people who furthered their education to make more than the current minimum wage. As I like to say….minimum education, minimum talent, minimum knowledge equals minimum wage.
I wouldn’t say that servers have minimal knowledge or education. I oversee a 4 star restaurant located with in a 5 star 5 diamond resort and my career servers who are minimum waged employees are some of the best career servers I have ever had the pleasure to work with. In regards to Seattle, by making a higher wage servers will see a lack in hours do to diminishing business demands as well as a lesser tip average being that the check cost is higher and dinners know why. n
Tips count as wages
Not in the city of Seattle. Other cities can pay servers less than minimum wage and tips subsidize their wages to minimum wage and beyond, but that is not the case in Seattle. The minimum wage has to be paid as your base wage and tips are on top of that.
NOT ANYMORE. With the price increase. Servers will now be making LESS than minimum wage because tips will count towards meeting the minimum. Just like in horrible states like Georgia.
Georgia isn’t a horrible state. Perhaps what is horrible is your state of mind.
Georgia isn’t horrible: it sucks.nnYou get your gun yet?
No yours is dumbass!!
Just remember: Liberalism is a Mental Disorder!
That has always been my issue with Northwesterners-so enlightened, yet so comfortable with the last remaining socially acceptable bigotry. It’s cool to hate fat people and Southerners? Go somewhere and stop being so smug and joyless.
you should probably do some more research…the new minimum wage increase IS reduced by tips AND insurance coverage provided by the employer.
They will not get any more tips.
actually they will get LESS tips. nMany people are reducing standard tip to 10-15%, assuming $15/hr will offset tipsnnNot even close
Or the 20% (or so) increase in food cost to the consumer will make them less inclined to do so. 🙂
They shouldn’t and whoever passed that into law is an idiot.
there will be a great increase who might beable to afford to eat out occasionally as well.
Did you really just say that? You realize the people who will now be making 15 dollars an hour will still not be able to afford to eat out right? At best if you are eating at a restaurant that grows its own vegetables and slaughters its own animals you will see a 20% increase in price. Since that is not a real thing you will see a 20%-30% increase in ingredients every step of the way. The guy who picks the veggies is getting paid more, the guy who delivers them, the guy who washes and preps them, and the guy who serves them. These costs will all be dropped onto the consumer because they will have to be. This minimum wage thing is pure socialism. I don’t have a problem with it either, but its the half assed job every government agency in the US is doing with it. Go full redistribution of wealth, subsidized everything, no private or public businesses. This hackjob of random people get free healthcare, random people get gauranteed wages is what is ruining our economy which is based on competition and skilled trades.
I support a higher minimum wage, BUT I actually agree with your complaint about the inefficiencies of the government process. We need to do it one way or the other, not pick and choose.
idiot
So now the bus boy will be making the same as the management! Again a total disincentive for anyone to work hard to better themselves! Who will be able to afford to go out to eat in Seattle? This will be a boon for surrounding cities and will remove a bunch of tax revenue for the city!
CARL you are very wrong,.those managers that you are talking about they are nery LAZY. WE BUSBOYS AND SERVERS ARE BETTER WORKERS,WORK HARD FOR THE MONEY. THEY ARE VERY LAZY PEOPLE,IM TELLING YOU THAT FOR MY EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH MANE MANAGERS>ONLY A FEW ARE VERY GOOD ONESn20 YEARS EXPERIENCE PLUS> THANK YOU VERY MUCH
I’ve found it in my experience that people like you don’t bother to learn what kind of responsibilities the boss has. You just think they sit around and do nothing while you work. That is probably why you can’t work your way past busboy.
asshole aren’t you!! Quit putting him down you jerk you own any damn businesses bet not lazy ass!!
Then get a different job. 🙂
You have been a busboy or server for 20 years, time to look in the mirror.
Boss has more responsibilities than collecting plates and silverware… and look at yourself, busboy for 20 years…
That view is so anti american…..you wouldn’t have your precious i phone or tablet with out the engine that is the free market to type your socialist posts. Our founding fathers would be ashamed that they watched our blood brothers in liberty die to see such a things said by Americans. Your thoughts lead to unthinkable oppressive actions that you do not want buy are so spoiled you think that you can make things perfect by more regulation…..you got it good and your going to ruin it by wanting more government…
Did you really just say that someone making 31,000 is not able to eat out? Really? Really?
Damn you’re an idiot. You probably voted for Kwasharma Schwramama the communist queen.
You mean the ones who get laid off because their employer can’t afford a 60% increase in labor costs?
Funny, you’d rather taxpayers subsidize the boss, who …incidentally, has had record profits, right ???
So taxpayers are subsidizing a restaurant owner? Fascinating. Here I thought it was just “green tech” crap that fails or Union Cronies.
We pay for welfare, did you “think” it fell from the sky. moniKKKers ?
I love your Thought Police Version of history. It’s hilariously misinformed.
I love your ran-dumb caps….nnnPossibly a stroke, get checked, your “friends” care…
And that food will cost them more. So in a few years you’ll be screaming that they aren’t making enough all over again. Liberals never learn anything.
So, you’re saying you hear screaming & inflation exists ???nnnWOW ! Good day for you, right ???nnnnnLMAO !
Considering the number of idiot liberals I hear from on a daily basis that don’t know inflation exists I wouldn’t be so smug. But then again, that’s all you have intellectually anyhow so i guess you have to go with what you’ve got there RH.
Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !! I’m Sob… DuHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !
So delusional childish you can’t even finish a sentence, that’s what you are.
Duhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhh !! I’m Sob… DuHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !
Get help, seriously…………………….
HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ~!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
That’s cool, where did you learn that ???
LALALALAALALALALAALALALLLA !!!
I comes naturally.
Too mindless to spell a 3 letter word, eh ???
HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH AHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!
It comes naturally.
Too mindless to spell a 3 letter word, eh ???
HAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!
Too mindless to make up a different reply I see (because there was no 3 letter word in my last reply). Try to keep up.
Such a ZERO !
HAHAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHH !
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Such a ZERO !
HAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHH !
Here’s your $15/hr: http://legalinsurrection.com/2014/08/mcdonalds-replacing-cashiers-with-machines/
i guess, 2 !!
Duhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhh !! I’m Sob… DuHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !
Get help, seriously…………………….
HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ~!
So this is the cut and paste childish insult of the day, wow, I’m underwhelmed
Duhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhh !! I’m Sob… DuHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !
Get help, seriously…………………….Urpp !!
HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH
So when your labor cost goes up 60% what do you plan to do? That’s what the liberals just did in Seattle.
Since this is a 3 year plan, affects a small subset of society, & you’re moron…cool down, all right !!?
Wow, still childish and name-calling like a 5 year old I see.
Since this is a 3 year plan, affects a small subset of society, & you’re moron…cool down, all right !!?nnFunny, you’d rather taxpayers subsidize the boss, who …incidentally, has had record profits, right ???
You men like the GM Bailout. The Bank Bailouts. Solyndra and 15 other Solar Manufacturers. Not to mention their huge subsidies…No I wouldn’t think so…:)
It’s a minimum wage increase. GEEZ… get a Midol.
It’s only $7/12 Trillion in new debt, what difference does it make? 🙂
Apples / Oranges, fruit cake….
You really are clueless, fascinating…
You really are boring, fascinating…
You really have no idea how a restaurant works do you. But you’re far to narcissistic to know that.
It’s actually a minimum wage for ALL workers, but you’re clearly confused, right moniKKKErs ?
Such a Hateful child.
Such a pointless POS….
Pretty amusing GM & Banks were Bush babies & you’re doing nothing, but hysterical blathering….
Oh really: nnu201cWhen I took office, the American auto industry u2013 the heartbeat of nAmerican manufacturing u2013 was on the verge of collapse. Two of the Big nThree u2013 GM and Chrysler u2013 were on the brink of failure, threatening to ntake suppliers, distributors and entire communities down with them. In nthe midst of what was already the worst recession since the Great nDepression, another one million Americans were in danger of losing theirn jobs.nAs President, I refused to let that happen. I refused to walk away nfrom American workers and an iconic American industry. But in exchange nfor rescuing and retooling GM and Chrysler with taxpayer dollars, we ndemanded responsibility and results.”–Obamannu201cHe had made the decision that this kind of change was necessary to kindn of signal to the public that there was going to be a real effort to nmake a fresh start,u201d Mr. Levin said. u201cThere wasnu2019t much point in arguingn whether or not it was fair or unfair, wise or unwise. It was a decisionn that he didnu2019t ask us about, he informed us of.u201d–Sen Levin (2009)nnSo your partisanship doesn’t jive with the facts.nnAnd GM has been profitable for a year and half but yet: The $11.2 billion loss includes a write-off in March of the government’s remaining $826 million investment in “old” GM, the quarterly report by a Treasury watchdog said.nSo are you bitching about those executives? Of Course not.nAll things that are bad belong to a President who hasn’t been in office for 6+ years because you have no balls to admit you’re wrong.
Yes, REALLY !!!nnThe emergency bailout of General Motors and Chrysler announced by President Bush on Friday gives the companies a fewn months to get their businesses in order, but hands off to President-elect Barack Obama the difficult political task of ruling on ntheir future. nnThe plan pumps $13.4 billion by mid-January into the companies from the fund that Congress authorized to rescue the financial industry. But the two companies have until March 31 to produce a plan for long-term profitability, including concessions from unions, creditors, suppliers and dealers. nnIn February, another $4 billion will be available for G.M. if the rest of the $700 billion bailout package has been released.
Yeah, that’s why Obama bailed them out!! He was doing it on order from Bush…What a maroon!
Here’s a hint about GM: It’s called the UAW. 🙂
Banks: Hint- Big Democrat cronies. 🙂
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHahahh haahahahaha ahahahahhaah !!!!
And apparently your brain is jammed on the same response over and over again. Well, that’s what happens when you’re a liberal with limited intelligence.
You have NO LIFE/BRAIN, copycat !!!
HHAHAAHah haha hahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
And apparently, it annoys the he!! outta ya……
Poor baby, after I caught you in your obviously intentional math mistake, you’ve given me free head space….
SNICKER !!
Such an immature child.
And apparently, it annoys the he!! outta ya……
Poor baby, after I caught you in your obviously intentional math mistake, you’ve given me free head space….
SNICKER !! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAhahahahahahahahahaahhHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHhaHAhahA !!!!
It’s OK to call me names, I don’t mind anonymous morons…at all, moron.
HAHAHHAHAAHAHHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHahhhaahhahahahHAHAAHAHAHAHAH !!!!
Says the anonymous moron RH himself.
LMAO !
Poor SOB, you’re simply a partisan fool, worshiping at the trough of tainted teabagger….
and you’re mindlessly repeating yourself again!
Why will they lose jobs, again ???
Seems the work is there & Seattle is growing everyday… GO for a long walk, you need less hate in your angry, miserable, existence…
Use ObamaCares, get a mental health screening STAT !!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA !!!!
FREE HEAD RENT !!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAhhhahhhahhhahhhahahahahhahahaahahh !!!!
Translation-
Teacake is FRUSTRATED !!!
Well, that’s what happens (comma) when you’re a teahadist twit (comma) with limited intelligence.
LOVE “smart” baggers….
I just love your amazing sense of IRONY, honey.
HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHHA !!!!
And the liberal intelligentsia makes up more words that don’t exist.
Talking to yourself ?? ObamaCares !!!
HAHHAHAHAAHA !
Talking to yourself ?? ObamaCares !!!
Try Autoerotic Asphyxiation…PLEASE !!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAhahahh !!!
Sorry, I already decided to leave you and your weird fetishes to you.
Why will they lose jobs, again ???
Seems the work is there & Seattle is growing everyday… GO for a long walk, you need less hate in your angry, miserable, existence…
Use ObamaCares, get a mental health screening STAT !!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA !!!!
FREE HEAD RENT !!!!
Try Autoerotic Asphyxiation…PLEASE !!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAhahahh !!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAhhhahhhahhhahhhahahahahhahahaahahh !!!!
Yoy should taje youn own advice first: “GO for a long walk, you need less hate in your angry, miserable, existence…” and see a mental health professional yourself for this obsession with Asphyxiation, not very healthy.
I should taje ??
LMAO !
Duhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhh !! I’m Sob… DuHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !
Get help, seriously…………………….
HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ~!
Uggg Uhhhh Ummmmm Gaga Googoo !! Yelp, whistle, grunt, grunt, oink !!!
LMAO
Such a child you are. Take your own advice.
Snark, snark…Snark, snark, snark….
HAHAHH AAHAH HAHAHAAHH !!! HAHHAHAAHAHAHHAHAH ~~~ !!!
Snark, snark…Snark, snark, snark….
HAHAHHAHAAHAH HAHAHAAHH !!! HAHHAHAAHAHAHHAHAH ~~~ !!!
Reached the Limit of your intelligence. What’s that 8 times with the same response. Maybe your hard drive crashed like Lois Lerner’s did.
You have NO LIFE/BRAIN, copycat !!!
HHAHAAHahHAHHHAHAHAA ahhaha hahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
6. 🙂
Keep telling yourself those lies. The Thought Police will thank you.
You have NO LIFE !!!
Why don’t you find a life & a point, your irrational hatred is UNHEALTHY !
HHAHAAHahahhah ahahahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
5. bored now…
How could you get bored…with your “life” ???
HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAhhahahahhaha !!!
I’ve heard dumb folks get bored & pointless a lot.
I’ve recommended a doctor, use your ObamaCares !!!
Try Autoerotic Asphyxiation…PLEASE !!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAhahahh !!!
Well, that’s twice you’ve use that. So you must be much more familiar with it than me, dearie. A peek into the private life of a mindless liberal? Ya Little Weiner. 🙂
Try Autoerotic Asphyxiation…PLEASE !!
HAHAHAHAHAHAH AHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAhahahh !!!
You’ve been counting a lot of posts, putz….
Will you ever “achieve” a 10 count ?? Hardly HAR HAR !!! A peek into the private life of a mindless teahadist twit? Ya Little ZERO !! 🙂
Well, you already did it in your mindless cut-and-pastes. So I leave you with that honor.
You’ve been counting a lot of posts, putz….
Will you ever “achieve” a 10 count ?? Hardly HAR HAR !!! A peek into the private life of a mindless teahadist twit? Ya Little ZERO !! 🙂
HAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHA !!! HAHAHAHAHA !!
And you have no point.
You have NO LIFE !!!
Why don’t you find a life & a point, your irrational hatred is UNHEALTHY !
HHAHAAHahahhah ahahahahahaah hahhaah hhahahahhahahahahhhhHAHHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAhaahHAAhahahahha!!!!
4.
Give me more Autoerotic Asphyxiation…PLEASE !!
Well we know what you do in your spare time, dearie…. <>
Talking to yourself ?? ObamaCares !!!
You have NO LIFE !!! Get that random cap crapola checked, I’m sure you’re f’ed up !!!
Why don’t you find a life, originality, & a point, your irrational hatred is UNHEALTHY !
HHAHAAHahahhah ahahahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
You have NO LIFE !!! Get that random cap crapola checked, I’m sure you’re f’ed up !!!
Why don’t you find a life & a point, your irrational hatred is UNHEALTHY !
HHAHAAHahahhah ahahahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
Oh look it’s the cut-and-paste response of the day. It cuts down on the usage of his limited brainpower.
Hint*
Unions = working American taxpayers. teacake….
Hint: Unions bankrupted Detroit. They are the biggest Democratic Donors. So you habve to save your cronies…(as for being taxpayers- so am I, libby).
Hint*
Unions = working American taxpayers. teacake….
Management killed Detroit, moron…
SNICKER !! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAhahahahahahahahahaahhHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHhaHAhahA !!!!
I habve ???
Do you HABVE ??
Hint: Unions bankrupted Detroit. They are the biggest Democratic Donors.
So you have to save your cronies…(as for being taxpayers- so am I, deal with it).
Hint*
Bad management killed Detroit, beginning with George Rawmoney.
Are you capable of anything but childish replies??
Hey,
kindergarten called, they want their “mentality” back…
HHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHhahahahhaahahahahahhahahahahahahhaahahhhaahahahahhaahhahahahah !!!!!
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Company-adds-living-wage-surcharge-after-minimum-wage-increase–262466051.htmlnMore to Come…
“I just really don’t see that being totally spread out among all the nemployees,” said Colville. “I’m sure that they’re going to end up makingn a pretty good profit from this under the guise of living wage.”nnnSo, your “premise” is the poor folks at the bottom are to blame for greedy management = your pals ???nnnnnPITIFUL ~!!!
I love how illogical your mind doesn’t think anything through.
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHahahhaha hahahaahahahahhaah !!!!
Wow. That’s funny coming from the jackass with over 7000 posts. And “robin hood” has some wonderfully life going postal on the people who generate all the wealth in America. The business owner. Nice life hood.
The business owner who lied, chickened out on the wager, & can’t “rent” a date ??
Get a life tadpole…
You have no rational thought.
So are you saying you are willing to take any kid at McDonalds and guarantee they can do just as well at a 4-star restaurant? My experience in the Customer Service industry is you start at a crappy wage at McDonald’s and learn about customer service. If you want to improve your skills, you work for a greasy spoon/chain restaurant waiting on tables for minimum wage plus tips. But when you’ve earned your stripes and prove you are a skilled and professional waiter/waitress, you get to move up to the big leagues in a 4 star restaurant and get the nice wage PLUS tips. This little trail of experience equals an education. With education comes better pay. You can’t graduate straight out of high school and expect to be making enough bucks to live comfortably. Those that can accomplish that are rare, not because they are being paid minimum wage, but because they lack the focus to be serious about life so soon after leaving mom and dad’s house of rules. Many of them are not serious about a career because they are too busy “finding themselves.”
I don’t go to McDonalds for the sparkly personalities and professional service. Most of the employees I’ve run into in that restaurant act like if they could quit the job and be home playing their X-box without going broke, they would. It’s apparent in the many incorrect orders, the sloppy appearances and the general “I don’t give a crap” attitudes they express.
If you oversee a 4 star restaurant with in a 5 star 5 diamond resort and all your career servers are earning a minimum wage, then that makes you a crappy boss for not recognizing their talent and paying them the wage they deserve.
Hey Diana. Come take over my six table section for the night. Don’t screw up.
My company was going to to open a series of restaurants in Seattle but will now pass and move those jobs to other markets. It is simply a poor business decision to expand our company into a market like this because you cannot turn a profit without having a terribly expensive menu. Our prices are already high because of the ingredients used and labor. These politicians and people pushing for such pay will price themselves right out of a job/opportunities for their communities.
If that’s your thought profit…I mean process…I encourage you to continue with that plan to go elsewhere to open your restaurants. And please take Tom’s restaurants with you too. #tirednocreativitycanyousay1990sn
You have to make a profit to successfully stay in business and continue to grow! Do you think every business should be a non-profit model??? #ClearlyIgnorant #DoesntHaveAClue #WearsAssAsAHat
Are you saying that profit should not be a factor when deciding on a business location? I am sorry but you sound like someone that has zero knowledge about business. A viable business has to turn a profit so it can continue to invest in itself or the community in which it resides. Profit is not the root of all evil as you may think it is but rather a necessary way to measure if a business is successful or not.
ITIS A BUSINESSS SO YES <PROFITS<nbut PEOPLE have to live as well, LOOK at the prices for a brand new car.etc,nthat why you call it a bussiness.
Well, Julie, I’m sure those people whose jobs also run away will thank you.
Yes!
July, July, July. Chobb’s company has no option but to take their businesses elsewhere. Restaurants in Seattle are going to become a losing proposition after the $15 min, their profit margin, which currently averages 4%, will plummet to -7%. Someone like yourself who does not value profit might be willing to give away your money so that your employees can make a “livable” wage, but REAL entrepreneurs are a lot smarter than that. The sad part is that there are businesses already in the Seattle market who will have to suffer the cost of relocation across city lines in order to survive.nnCapitol Hill will soon become a ghost town while Seattle will enjoy a reputation as the City stupid enough to torpedo its own economy. In two years, when most of these socialist labor shills are up for relocation, Seattle will already have started to collapse and people (even those who “made” $15 per hour will be looking for those politicians’ heads. I say “made”, because by that time they will have lost their jobs and won’t be able to find new ones.nnnSo toot tout socialist agenda and continue to think of profits as an evil concept, but, unless you work for the government, you would not have a job without profits.
Excellent response. School the communist tree-hugger granola-cruncher all the way back to California or Detroit.
You are a stupit person, LOOK at NEW YORK CITY STUPIT.LOLOLOLOLOnyou are an IDIOT
Gotta suck to have a national mag say you’re pulling numbers outta your azz. According to Forbes magazine, the average restaurant profit margin in 2011 increased from 1.93 percent to 5.01 percent. That’s a 250 percent increase, so I guess it’s time to reward those workers…
Are you really that big of a MORON???????????? How many people do you know that open a business who expect to LOSE money????????? Unless they’re going to run a non-profit, EVERYONE is in business to make money. Take your communist attitude to California where they love people like you.
YOu are an idiot. go ask the ower of Blue acre and he is going to tell you/.nHow much money is making or Tom Douglas how much they are making every year.nHe keeps opening restaurants, you are very stupit
According to Forbes magazine, the average restaurant profit margin in n2011 increased from 1.93 percent to 5.01 percent. That’s a 250n percent increase, so I guess it’s time to reward those workers…
And what was the inflation in labor costs? Food Costs? Oh right, you don’t care about that–Mr Class Warrior, now do you? Wanna make a guess (Look it up on BLS inflation calculator) 🙂
Go ahead & do something, besides sniff my droppings, nanny stater…..nnLMAO !nnnnnnLabor gets 60% in 3 years of the 250% increase, guess the rest is ENOUGH PROFIT !!!
Irrational, immature and mindless. Just what I expect from a Liberal. Congrats.
Love the IRONY !!!nnLMAO !nnAs for paying you more to blather, I’d rather pay you more to shut up… Contact info ???nnCome on, stand behind your words..
Sabalom Glitznn1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW nWashington, D.C. 20220
I see you’re a dishonest, cowardly, troll….nnnWe ALL knew.nnnLMAO !
When in Rome…
You have no point or integrity, WE get it…nnCalling the working poor names ? SAD !!
And you have no clue.
And…you have no life.
I takes a few years to build a profitable business & anyone who opens a business better love the work…..nnnYou CLEARLY, have never opened anything bigger, than your yap.
Yeah, because profit is evil!! You have no idea how business actually works do, especially not restaurants.nYou have been brainwashed by Class Warfare sociopaths. Congrats, the Thought Police are proud of you.
Actually, wages you can’t live on are evil…. CONGRATS, you offered nothing…per usual.
Gee my first job only paid 4.25/hr and I survived. A concept you won’t be able to understand. So how long before you decide $15/hr is a “slave” wage and no one can live on it?
Funny, your first wage was before Bush Sr…Usually, you’re denying either Bush existed…nnnnnLMAO !nnGo take your stool softener, grandpa…
So is every city in America the same? And what is a “living wage” in Seattle is it the same in Pocatello, Idaho? and what is a “living wage” specifically. Is that a Big Screen TV, a Car, a Cell Phone, Internet, etc? What is a “living wage”?
Since we’re on a Seattle wage board, perhaps you’re a moron ???
Oh by the way, Walmart is hiring in North Dakota for $5/hr WITHOUT GOVERNMENT MANDATES. Mind that is because of Liberal Hated Politically incorrect Jobs in the Oil Industry creating more jobs and more wealth in the community. But I bet you’d like to destroy those jobs because you don’t like Oil Companies. 🙂
LMAO !nnnnnDon’t worry about honest facts …..
My company will open restaurants in ANY successful city & Seattle Area is explosive !!
What company is that?
You’re a pathetic political putz that argues because of bitterness, so you don’t get personal investment info, blow hole…nnnLMAO ! I will say, it’s run by a woman, which will probably irritate you, right ??nnn
Wow, is this guy for real? He talks like an elementary student. Your employees must love working for someone so immature.
You’re hearing talking, moniKKKers ??nnnnnWOW !nnnAre you for real ? Hey, tell me your SSI number, otherwise you’re an illegal….nnnnnnnYOUR LOGIC, dick…
Well, youre party had a Speaker of The House who was a Grand Wizard of The KKK you know, or was that no on the Daily Kos?nSSI: You first. Since you’re so concerned.
LMAO !nnnnnyoure ??? Blah, blah, blah !! Well, if YOU had thought yourself, you’d not be so brainwashed by class warfare.
Nope. Just an ABSOLUTE fact. Sorry to burden you with it. 🙂
You haven’t posted a decent fact, your entire LIFE !nnnThe KKK bs, the man apologized for as a Democrat…
I really doubt either of us voted for Byrd & he renounced racism…so, you have no relevant point & little intelligence…it seems.nnnAs for personal info, I simply pointed out it’s hypocritical to ask & you’re dumbly deflecting.
Oh, so if I say I renounced racism (which I never been to begin with) I can criticize Obama and not be a Raci then,eh? And your raci crack to me makes you one. Simply delicious irony. After all, Byrd was still a Democrat and a KKK Grand Wizard. And the Southern DEMOCRATS were the ones opposed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. So the truth is so much sweeter than your silly insults.
LMAO !nnnnnYeah, an individual is all Democrats, which makes you Sterling, the racist…
See what I mean. It’s all you,baby.
See what I mean. It’s all you, bagger…
<<> I hear the childish call of a Robin Hood Parrot…
Still a loser, under a new moniker ?
If the post was childish, it’s nice you wrote it, tea [email protected]
First Midol, now female anatomy, boy you really hate women don’t you. So are you a Robin Men in Tights?
If the post was childish, it’s nice you wrote it, tea [email protected]
Well, since you have no respect for women…
He asked your other name for the SSI, you slipped, son.
Will you be sending me any income you make over $9.32…..nnnIt would be a really sincere move, to walk the BS you’re spewing….
I’m sure as liberal who demands that people who work for a living give you more and more of their money I will eventually be forced by people like you to do so.Thus you can feed your insatiable appetite for more and more money. After all, that is the democratic way. 🙂
Actually, nnnnYou’ll simply be paying folks who earn wages “enough” to not need public subsides, second jobs, & have hope for their future…nnnEveryone needs a living wage & your childish redirection are pointless…
And your leech who just wants everyone else to pay for your greed. Sorry, you’ll get no sympathy from me. I worked 2 jobs, 19 hours a day for 2 1/2 years because I was self-reliant enough to do it myself and not depend on others. How about you hot shot?
“You’re” a proven liar & kinda boring, babe….nnnYou’re just a leech that wants free labor, from the folks who can’t afford to continue serving you.nnYou’ll simply be paying folks who earn wages “enough” to not need public subsides, second jobs, & have hope for their future…nnEveryone needs a living wage & your childish redirections are pointless…
I love when liberal lose an argument and they just start calling people “liars”. Very humorous.
Last post it was “lairs”…… Very humorous.
So your assertion of “my company” is bogus then. Not surprising.
So, you cannot narrow down restaurant chains run by women ??? Not surprising.nnnLMAO !
Sorry, your illogical speech is too hard to follow.
Are you high & stupid ?
So, you’re an illegal alien, huh ??nnnnnIf not, I’ll need your SSI, Photo ID, & bank account numbers….nnnnnDumb game, but I’m happy to “play”.
Hey Max. I did that in college. You know, when I didn’t have the skills or experience to do much else that demanded more than minimum wage. I could take your section, would you like to take my surgical cases this evening? You’ll make a lot more than minimum wage…don’t screw up.
So what you’re saying is that a surgeon should be able to make a living wage (likely a grossly inflated one at that), but not a waiter.
Yep they should. They are providing a much more valuable and scarce service than a waiter. There are more than enough high schoolers and college students to wait tables. It’s not personal it’s just the way that it is. Those jobs were never designed to be the sole source of income for a family…stop forcing a square peg into a round hole.
The problem with this argument is that you presume that everyone has equal opportunities when it comes to jobs and education. Just because you don’t qualify to be a surgeon doesn’t mean you don’t qualify to live.
When you say not everyone has the same opportunities, I agree. The reason some have fewer opportunities is because they sit back and hope someone will hand them those opportunities. Some are born rich, but for the vast majority of us, opportunities are MADE, not found. Those who WANT to better themselves will. All the rest settle for dead-end jobs that don’t require them to make any effort beyond driving to work. If they don’t want to work for it, I don’t want them to have it.
Everyone starts out the same buddy. An infant. It’s not the taxpayer’s job to give you an education or make sure you start out on the same line as a Rockefeller. There are countless people in history who started out dirt poor and ended up filthy rich. Buy a clue.
I’ve been a server and I never had trouble making a livable wage in Washington. During college/out of college. Trust me it ISN’T servers arguing for 15 dollar minimum wage. They are ONE of the groups about to be screwed by this. They will be MAKING LESS NOW.
I feel your pain, Chad. Any server who works his tables well comes home with so much in tips, the salary is inconsequential. I know dozens of servers who bank between $25 and $40. They can count on those tips drying up when the general population realizes those servers are getting paid $15/hr. nnThanks, Mr. Ed.
er, that was “…between $25 and $40 per hour”
I made more being a waitress in 4 days than I do as a nurse working 4 days a week. If the minimum wage goes up to $15, I think I will put down my stethoscope and start waiting tables again. Don’t think I would be the only on to jump on the ban wagon. Why spend money to better you education if you don’t need to.
Then you’re a poor nurse then. Nurses don’t get paid $31,200 a year (Full time wage at $15/hour). Medical assistants maybe, but not nurses. So I’m guessing anonymous troll.
Nurses pay nearly 30% of their wages to unions, then have to pay for malpractice insurance so take home may well be less! You really should learn more about a subject before opening your mouth!
A nurse with aducation makes 70000.00 ayear. come on.nI used to date a girl that was going to go to school and get a degree in order to make that much. hello ???????
Your average floor nurse at a hospital does not make 70k a year. More like 50-60k a year.
Your actual mistake was missing how the server’s bills are paid on a night with cheap tippers….
You tip based on what the worker makes ?? Bet it’s interesting watching you ask at every dining establishment.
Yes thats what he is saying. You cant do nothing in life and expect to live like a king. That is lazy and disgusting. He has worked so hard to have that life and so did I. I didnt smoke pot and drink my life away living pay check to pay check. I invested every dollar and minute into my industry and I am being rewarded for it. You cant take the easy way out in life and expect to get something out of it.
Kyle, you are an idiot ! Yes a surgeon should make way more than a server ! Now go get me a water !
I hope you realize you insulted the wrong person. Try to think next time before you presume to call someone an idiot.
No, YOU’RE an idiot.
okay how about this… You are all idiots !! Better now ? GFY !
With a lemon slice 😀
You don’t understand business with an answer like that it’s not that simple
Did you just try and compare a surgeon who has to go through years of schooling, years of internship, a butt load of student debt to someone who can walk into the job and learn it in 5 minutes? No wonder this country is in trouble. You think waiters and surgeons should be equal or close to on pay scale. We can live without someone making our sandwiches for us. We would be in a world of trouble without surgeons. Next time you have to go see a doctor or surgeon remember to bring up this discussion about waiter and surgeon and their wages. Oh and you might want to go ahead and make a second appointment with another doctor because I don’t think you would be seen by that one anymore.
JIM THINK DONT BE A REGULAR AMERICAN. the problem with this country is the system with BANKERS, look the fucked our economy and the Goverment helped the banks.this is not the problem with our Goverment in Seattle.THINK THINK.
Well, if you had thought yourself, you’d not be so brainwashed by class warfare.
Blah, blah, blah !! Well, if YOU had thought yourself, you’d not be so brainwashed by class warfare.
<<>> is there a Robin Hood Parrot in here?
Look how “cleverly” you switched from a “lunch hour” to a full day’s labor….nnAre you a complete idiot or INSANE !!!!!nnLMAO !nnYeah, you “used” new math & if it were a woman, she’d SCREAM RAPE !!!nnIf you have to lie, you realize you’re wrong, RIGHT ???
Poor baby, is your “life” really made of of hateful nonsense ???nnDonate time at a food bank…nnAs for paying you more to blather, I’d rather pay you more to shut up… Contact info ???nnCome on, stand behind your words..
Already did (food Bank that is). I have also worked at a Homeless Shelter. Have younOr are you just a mouthy little partisan??
I don’t share with psychos & you’re a proven liar, hon…nnnnnLMAO !
In other words, you’re just a mouthy little partisan.
I don’t share with psychos & you’re a proven liar, hon…nnLMAO !
So you don’t share with your God, Obama then, eh.
Do you ever read your drivel ?nnnGeez racist, you’ve embarrassed yourself.
Between lying about your address & ” work(ing) 2 jobs, 19 hours a day for 2 1/2 years”? nnnnHon, you’re a cheap, moronic, partisan lying loser… No, not (lair), loser. Stay away from Seattle.
I intend to. Especially with childish immature people like you around.
Good, then you can stick your nose shareware, unless you’re a liar…nnOH RIGHT !!!
Your nose is shareware. Ewww…
You brain is stuck in 3rd grade mode…
I’m glad you recognize yourself. It is hard to think down to your level.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Especially, with your complete lack of intelligent comment on ANY thread’s subject matter….
Just keeping it at your level, dearie. Don’t want you to get over your head.
I hate to burst your communist bubble-headed way of thinking, but in the olden days minimum wage jobs were NEVER meant to be a living wage. Normally, people took those jobs on their way up the scale… like kids and retired people who needed something to do because they were bored. Sure, you can say life has changed, but it’s because the mentality of the voters has changed into being takers instead of productive members of society. You want free this and free that without having to lift a finger to EARN it. There is not one taxpayer on God’s green Earth that OWES YOU ANYTHING. Nothing. Nada. Zip. If you want something, EARN IT.
They are earning it & they’re going to be paid for it, now. $15 in today’s buying power is the same minimum wage we got…nnnnnGet a grip, people.
Until the cost of the things they are buying goes up. I bet by the time the next generation comes around you’ll be screaming that $15/hr is a “slave” wage again. People like you are so greedy with everyone else’s money.
Seems calling me greedy for wanting a fair wage for workers is nothing, but moronic rhetoric…nnnnnI’ll happily pay more, to help fellow Americans avoid welfare, second jobs, & missed meals…
Go right ahead. But why do I have to? You can pay it for me, since your so generous.
You have to, because we’re a democracy….nnActually, wages you can’t live on are evil…. CONGRATS, you offered nothing…per usual.
But you want to pay more. So why not pay for me too! 🙂 Or are you going to be insensitive and intolerant??
I’m going to help the folks who need it & I’ll happily refer you to a good shrink, hon …nnnAs for paying you more to blather, I’d rather pay you more to shut up… Contact info ???nnnCome on, stand behind your words..
Well, obviously any recommendations for a shrink would be dubious consider how much they’ve failed you.
Apples / Oranges, fruit cake….A living wage paid by the profit making companies can help wean folks off the government…& nit DOES take money to survive, hon….nnI see you’re a coward… Imagine that…nnnLMAO !
But Democrats want you dependent on them. They are the pimp daddies and their crack is $$$.
Democrats want a fair wage…. Nothing more, here, dear.
Bwah hahahahahahahahahhanBwah hahahahahahahahahhanBwah hahahahahahahahahhanBwah hahahahahahahahahhanBwah hahahahahahahahahhanBwah hahahahahahahahahhanBwah hahahahahahahahahhanBwah hahahahahahahahahhanBwah hahahahahahahahahhanBwah hahahahahahahahahhanNow that was genuinely funny!
Democrats want a fair wage…. Nothing more, here, dear.
Last couple dozen responses have been useless as “intelligence”, congratulations…[email protected] wall of shame…nnFolks are hungry & hurting, your solution…. Partisan BS from the Faux B-lame bored…
Well, I don’t to overload the intellect you’ve demonstrated, so I have I am thinking down to hyour level.
I am thinking down to hyour level.nnnIrony is nice…..
Just keeping it at your intellectual capacity, dearie.
Last couple dozen responses have been useless as “intelligence”, congratulations…[email protected] wall of shame…nnFolks are hungry & hurting, your solution…. Partisan BS from the Faux B-lame bored…
Wow, you even type like a 5 year old.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
You’re so sleepy. Must be time for you nap.
Thanks for your “valuable comments” on the minimum wages… ??nnLMAO !nnWe noticed you have nothing intelligent, under ANY moniKKKer…nnLMAO !
Oh, look it’s the cut-and-paste robin hood parrot poking it’s silly little beak out again.
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAA haahahahahahaahahahahhaah !!!!
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHah ahahahahaahahahahhaah !!!!
And you apparently ran out of intelligence.
More narcolepsy.
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHah hhahaahahahah ahahahahhaah !!!!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Got nothing left in the intelligence department I see.
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHahahhahaahahahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHahahhahaa hahahaah hahhaah !!!!
11.
You have NO LIFE/BRAIN, copycat !!!
HHAHAAHahahhaha hahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
9.
10.
You have NO LIFE !!!HHAHAAHahahhahaahahahahahaah hahhaah !!!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHahahha aahahahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
Now, that was typically teabagger [email protected] useless, right ?nnFunny, you love “babies” til they’re born, then you don’t want their families to provide food ???
I love a good Liberal extremist logical fallacy and so childishly done. Congrats.
I see, you have the typical lack of intelligent answer…CONGRATS !!!
And you’ve reached the limit of your childish insults and intelligence and have started repeating yourself.
So unimaginative.
Yes, you are. Glad you recognize it.
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHahahhahaahahahahahaahahahahhaah !!!!
12 responses. All the same. Typical Liberal. Very limited intelligence.
You have NO LIFE/BRAIN, copycat !!!
HHAHAAHahHAHgaggaagag WHEW ~~~HHAHAHAA ahhaha hahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
Make that 5. 🙂
You have NO LIFE/BRAIN, copycat !!!
HHAHAAHa AHgaggaagag WHEW ~~~HHAHAHAA ahhaha hahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
Counting responces ??? WEAK & USELESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, thanks for the elementary school spew.
Hey Vanna,
Wanna buy a verb ?? Typical con, failed in life, school, writing, & can’t live by the golden rule…
Golden Rule: Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.
U SMURT, U say so, write ?
Such a child.
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHahahhahaaha ahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
You have NO LIFE !!!
Why don’t you find a life & a point, your irrational hatred is UNHEALTHY ! FRUIT CUP !!!
HHAHAAH hahhah ahahahahahaah hahhaah hhahahahhahahahahhhhHAHHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAhaahHAAhahahahha!!!!
cut-and paste, dearie. that’s what your limited intelligence is good at.
Some sort of come on ? No thanks, I prefer humans…
Hey,
kindergarten called, they want their “mentality” back…
HHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHhahahahhaahahahahahhahahahahahahhaahahhhaahahahahhaahhahahahah !!!!!
You have one to begin with?? Amazing!!!, someone call the Discovery Channel.
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHahahha ahahahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
As “intelligent” as any troll’s tripe…nnnnnA living wage lessens dependance, dimwit.nnnLMAO !
Yes, I’m sure your Class Warrior Masters drilled that into you so you could spew the pablum out like a good little soldier. The Facts, well, you don’t care about those.
Thanks for your contribution…of “facts”.nnnHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHHAHAHAAH A~A~A~~!~!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
So unimaginative.
Thanks for your “valuable comments” on the minimum wages…nnnnnLMAO !nnnnnWe noticed you have nothing intelligent, under ANY moniKKKer…nnnLMAO !
Look like a nanny stater comment & I’m insensitive and intolerant of cheapo beggars….
You hate poor people. Good to know.
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHahahhah ahahahahaahahahahhaah !!!!
I’m sure, WE ALL pay for you, your Cheapness…
As you wish, Robin “The Earl of Huntington” Hood. 🙂
When you can’t be original, be moronic… “work” to your “strength”.
Great answer Kyle.
Max, I worked my way through college working at least a 6 table section, so I would not have to work the before mentioned 6 table section now that I am 35. I continued in the restaurant business for a couple years after college due to making more money than I could using my degree. I am not saying this to knock waiters/waitresses, but they make pretty damn good money considering what they do (I lived a pretty good life in college). But, these service people do have people skills, that the back of the house usually do not have. A dishwasher, that did not graduate high school, does not deserve to make $31,200/year working a standard 40 hour work week.
Max, you make more with tips than you do with a standard 15 dollar wage. It’s horrible for servers. And if you can’t handle a 6 table section… you shouldn’t be serving. =)
Most people in the industry have college degrees.
………………..nnnI’m sure all the waitresses, hostesses, and prep cooks are college grads.
You might be surprised at the number whom are, ESPECIALLY in Seattle.
Diana, that is a pretty harsh (unsubstantiated) statement. Have you ever worked in this particular service industry?
Harsh?
I have and agree it takes a lot of skill; more skill than working at a fast food restaurant or many other minimum wage jobs. That’s why you get tips. I heard that tipped employees may be given less than the 15 per hour. Don’t know if that’s true but if so not fair to those tipped employees that do require more skill!
It’s not about whether they are skilled, or good at what they do, or even educated. It is simply about how much people value those skills. The compensation they “deserve” is in exact proportion to the value of what they produce according to the people they produce it for. You can make the argument that their services are undervalued, but that is a decision you have the moral right to make with your own earned resources, not other peoples’. And unlike many other industries, there is a direct system for you as an individual to set that value judgment with your own resources… it’s called tipping. nnnIt is simply immoral to coerce other people to use the fruits of their labor to advocate for and express your set of values. Forcing others to take responsibility for YOUR convictions is not the answer. Let other people worry about their consciences and hows about you worry about your own, huh? nnnThat’s the moral/philosophical argument since you wanted to have it, the practical one is the article.
Bingo! Doubling someone’s pay simply because they want or need it is a poor business model when they don’t add any more value to the business. I work in construction and we pay at least 15 dollars an hour for new trainees and start them at 18 when they’re ready to solo because what we do is a specialty skill (interior finish carpentry) that requires knowledge, experience, tools, and finesse. We couldn’t pay 8 dollars an hour and get anybody worth a crap to do the job. But a good carpenter who can build staircases and rails, fireplace mantels, etc will make the company money even if he’s making $28/ hour because of the value he adds to the business. It also takes him years to get good at it. Contrast that with paying the kid at McDonald’s 15 bucks and hour and you have just created massive labor inflation, since it is not tied to market forces. Anyone can be trained o work at McDonald’s in a single day. If anyone can do a job, then the demand for bodies is low because so many of them are available. That is the reason low skill work pays less than brain surgery or rocket science. Market forces determine wages and prices. When some politicians around a table who know zip about economics and have never had to meet a payroll decide that it’s a great election issue, they throw a wrench into the market. But the market will adjust, in the form of fewer jobs and higher prices to absorb the hit. So in the end, the people the increased minimum wage is supposed to help take the biggest hit as fewer jobs are open to them and the gains they see short term are quickly eaten away by the inflation their raise costs.nnnBy the way, what these geniuses seem unaware of is that a 15 dollar an hour employee costs the employer nearly $19/hr as he has to cover 7.5% of social security, Medicare, worker’s comp, unemployment insurance and so on.
Let’s not forget the politics. You now have Democrats pointing their fingers at those who did not support the minimum wage increase with a “See, they don’t care!” attitude, “so vote for us.” Which, of course, the minimum wage labor force buys 100%…at least until the jobs start drying up. The reality is that the government is the only winner. Higher wages means higher tax bracket, more money into the government. Higher prices equals higher revenue that business is forced to pay taxes on…more money into the government. Higher costs for products include a sales tax…more money into the government. The only winner…the government.
DING DING DING we have a winner!
It’s the vote of the people, son…. All the blathering about who puts the money in the till & who deserves what share of it, comes down to democracy….nnnnnSam Walton once illegally shorted thousands of employees. When the court ordered it paid back, Walton cut a check & enclosed a note,,,cash this check & you’re FIRED….nnnnnToday, Americans deserve better & we’ll happily vote representatives who agree.
Spoken like a true moral relativist. nnnYou say that “democracy” is the way to justly distribute wealth in a society. I say the authority to distribute other people’s money is, itself, unjust. Ever heard of the democratic process with regards to two wolves and a lamb voting on the dinner menu? Pure democracy doesn’t lead to justice – it is nothing more than organized mob rule. It is the purpose of a republic, like the U.S. is supposed to be, to protect inalienable rights so that 51% of the population is prevented from voting away the fundamental rights of the other 49%. This is what is meant by being “…a nation of laws, not men”. nnnThe foundation of human rights comes from the premise that you own yourself and the fruits of your labor. All human rights violations – whether perpetrated by a government or a private entity – involve, at their core, a violation of this self-ownership principle. nnnAnother example of a violation of this principle is the 19th century SCOTUS decision granting corporations the rights of personhood. This effectively shifted responsibility for corporate decisions from the individuals making them, to “the public” via government safety net systems. With the public assuming liability, corporations, like those owned by Sam Walton, were free to make bold power plays in the market that led to the dominance of corporations we see today. Part of this domination, that is unique to the corporation, includes the ability to illegally short thousands of employees. nnnYou’re right, Americans do deserve better. Unfortunately, continuing to prescribe the source of the problem as the solution to it, as minimum wage laws do, only makes matters worse.
So, your “premise/proof” is people are wolves ??nnnSorry, I don’t buy your BS….nnnnnLMAO !nnnnnTry selling fertilizer, discussion forums are the place for crappy “logic”.
If you want to stoop to attacking me personally that is your affair. I’m interested in ideas, not pissing competitions.nnnThe wolf in this analogy is the majority, while the lamb is the minority. If you believe in a pure democracy then you must have been in favor of slavery up until about 150 years ago.
I didn’t insult you personally & using outta norm examples, to tell me what I believe in…. is particularly pointless…nnnOf course, YOU need to define terms… (CHORTLE).nnFunny, you picked the wolf to represent the weaker group financially…nnn(Snicker)…….
Boo
Out of the Forbes 400, 63 members have just a high school diploma–although many honary degrees have followed. Billionaires include: Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Sean Parker, Dustin Moskovitz, Phil Ruffin and John Paul DeJoria. -Forbes.com
Exactly. Thank you. This is because education does not necessarily equal value created. It is how you leverage the skills you acquire in Education (or elsewhere, as those 63 demonstrate) to better the lives of others ACCORDING TO THEM, not a centralized bureaucracy, with no natural right to expropriate the property of individuals.
Note: You said education does not equal value created, then go on to say it matters how you leverage the skills from education. That sounds like you just said x does not equal y, then y = x. Haha. Education matters. Get one, however you can.
Clearly your education failed you. He said X does not equal Y. We’ll call the KEY WORD Leverage= LnThen we use X * L = Y.
I don’t even have a highschool diploma. I got my GED at age sixteen, started working full time, then eventually went to trade school at age eighteen. I was able to purchase my house, by myself, at age twenty. Education helps, but it isn’t everything.
Without that education though, you wouldn’t be where you are today. (Education/Trade School) My company will not consider you unless you have earned a 4-year degree.
That’s because your company has an idiotic hiring policy. But hey lets support the BS college system that rakes in billions to not get you a job.
No, that is because the market has decided college degrees are the new hiring standard.
Wow, you do realize these people are insanely smart and gifted, right? Zuck and Mosko were both attending Harvard when they created Facebook. Harvard, meaning that they were pretty damn smart to be able to get in to that school in the first place. If you have a higher ed, you will now be a leading candidate over others when this wage hits. Sure, there are rare instances when the uneducated utilize hard work to improve their financial well being… But schooling and education would quickly put you in the lead.
I have less than minimum education, but have great talent, ability and desire. I have worked very hard to get to where I am now, and do not support this mandate. Businesses will have to cut services as well as manpower at the very least to absorb these costs if they are able to at all
Minimum talent? With a masters in communication I simply see that my bartending gig working three days a week yields more money than any available job openings. And my fiance who is currently in medical school at UDub needs her serving job to help pay her way. So…. minimum education on the legistics of the topic, respectfully that goes to you. When polled the majority of the people doing these jobs in the service industry say they are currently enrolled in classes furthering their education. Thus, attempting to gain higher knowledge so they aren’t stuck in these jobs forever. With the raise in minimum wage prices go up, guest numbers goes down along with prospective tips. Money they will use hopefully to help pay for living expenses and schooling. Not to say that all the people in the industry are trying to further their education. I’m a bar manager, I see those bums that serving tables is it for them. But for those that are indeed trying to find higher education for a better future to become doctors, CEO’s, and lawyers, this increase is going to have an affect on their ability to find said education.
I dont deserve minimum wage. I work in a factory. I have amazing talents at what i do in everything in life so suck my dick
As I like to say, cook at home if all you’re offering workers is insults….
SO SAYETH THE INSULT KING!
As I like to say, cook at home if all you’re offering WORKERS is insults….
Then you must be a Top Chef in your own Home. Congrats.
Go out pretty often, but I’m successful & willing to pay.nnGeez, if you have nothing intelligent about THIS TOPIC, just leave…It’s a minimum wage increase. GEEZ… get a Midol.
Then you must give up all your “excess” money it’s only “fair”. 🙂
Are you saying you’re a commie ?? nnnnOh right…. blathering BS, because you ran outta “intelligent”…long ago.
Well, since you are all about being “fair” and “equal” and you make so much money you can afford to give it away, right. After all, you don’t want to be a greedy hoarding capitalist now do you?
Well, since you want to spend my money, earn it, honey…nnnLike these workers.
Well, you haven’t earned spending my money but you want it anyhow. So I guess you’ll to come down to Van Buren St here. 🙂
What’s it like, to be a moron child, dear ?nnnnnWell, since you want to spend my money, earn it, honey…nnLike these workers, you hate…..n
Then you must earn it, like the minimum wage folks do…. it’s only “fair”.nnn 🙂
But now people will be “equal” and it will be “fair”. right? 🙂 (sarcasm).
Yet you probably live off your husband like every other dignified American woman…
AL ways had a minimum wage & the chance to better themselves COSTS MONEY !!!
Now that the peasants got their raise, the king will demand more of their money. Time to raise taxes on every thing you do, by executive order of course and regulatory fiat.
When was the economy better? When taxes were at the 1960’s rates? At the 1990’s rates? Or now at historically low rates not seen since the 20’s?nn
Basically if by KING, you mean the local business owners. Because watch how everyone who owns a business suddenly makes a LOT MORE money.
Disaster for restaurants, period. Good luck with your chain crap, Seattle. It’s all you’ll have left shortly.
Just maybe it is time to not offer $150 burgers.. not import truffles.. not increase the offering that leaves 99% of the diners out?.. Do you think this will affect the top drawer restaurants? Not on your life.. they will defer the costs and increase a bottle of wine from $200 to $300.. the top end “douglas” style restaurants will get their due. .they may have to move to less expensive digs.. not embellish the spaces with disturbingly expensive nic nacks.. not hire the most expensive wine folks.. eliminate very expensive “chef table” dinners. Don’t kid yourself. .Douglas may have to move to a “normal” area.. and send his kids etc. .to “regular” schools.. come on.. check out his spending folks.. how much does he rake in? Two sides to a profit coin.. he, managers, etc. .let them take less!
You sound like you’ve never run a business, Jimbo. Certainly not a restaurant. “Let them take less” sounds great when you’re talking about other people. Restaurants are one of the toughest, lowest margin businesses there is. Mom and Pop’s will not survive a move like this. I own a restaurant and did the math. If the minimum was suddenly $15 here, I could give my sous chef MY current paycheck and it would still not make up the difference. It’s real easy to sit back from afar and say: “Look at this guy, he’s raking it in. Let him do with less.” But you are entirely ignorant of the economic realities of any business. The reality is that those guys never do with less, it’s the middle class, and struggling entrepreneurs that take the hit.
How in the world this this law go into effect? I though democracy was about the majority of the people. I doubt HIGHLY that it was a majority vote. This is one of the worst decisions ANY government can make. These officials should be taken out of office ASAP and put into jail. RIDICULOUS!!!!!!
Everyone else should get a $15/hour raise too. O am a guest teacher with a master’s degree and began teaching at barely $14/hour every year until about five years ago when the district “let” us continue at the pay of the last day of the last year worked. I have gotten as much as i can stainless I take 25 more credits (I take classes every year). Once I get into a “New track and lane” my wages will go up. We haven’t gotten a COLA in years. Bottom line, let’s keep the playing field even…either we all get a $15/he raise OR NO ONE DOES!
They are not getting a 15 dollar an hour raise. the minimum wage is $15. If you have a Master’s degree it’s not because of your reasoning skills or reading comprehension.
You’re not getting it colleen2, the comment states if it goes to min $15 then everyone else should have $15 added to their current wage to reflect the change and keep the status quo.
I think what he’s getting at is that minimum wage workers will now earn $15 vs the $9 ish that is the current minimum wage. so they’re getting $6 added onto their wages. If she was asking for everyone to get $6 added to their current hourly wage it would make more sense.
Actually Sunshine is being elitest and saying that anyone with an education should get their current salary plus a $15 base that everyone else gets, colleen2 is not understanding this concept so I attempted to explain. You’re trying to invite logic into this where there is no logic or any sense to the OP’s statements. Have a nice day.
That’s actually the union position. The only reason unions are for this is because their wages are tied to a multiplier of the minimum wage. Thus, if the minimum wage raises by 66%, so too do union wages.
I understand what the entitled but not very intelligent commenter said.
Great ninja skills on removing all the remarks in between which completely changes the dialogue’s meaning and flow where someone looks different in intellect versus before. Kudos to the remover.
Did you forget to take your meds?
Wow how impressive you did a personal attack, just wow, kudos, omgursowundrful! nnnYou made me laugh water out of my nose and all over my screen, again, omgursowundrful.
I have no Masters Degree (or Bachelors for that matter) but would recommend that you learn how to proof read what you post Sunshine! It will really make your point more credible!
Oh, sorry, did you go into Teaching to be Rich or to Teach?
read the thing. it is over 7 years. .it has a lot of differences for different sized businesses.. how does one explain that Seattle is the fastest growing city in the nation? hmmm? and the highest minimum wage today at $9.32.. just searching for the real facts. .not emotion.. ??
It’s 3 years if you have more than 500 employees and 4 if you have less. Get your “real facts” right before you grab a condescending attitude next time, because I don’t enjoy having to put one on to correct you when you pop off with knowing what’s going on.
Hey Bazooka Joe get the facts yourself!! It is 7 years for business with employees that collect tips. You know, like TOM DOUGLAS restaurants!!!
Everyone can predict the future
Humans are really pretty good at cause and effect. You throw it out there like everyone is peering into a crystal ball scrying the future, but Vegas, New York and DC were built on predicting the consequences of human action, just to name a few. If you see a ball falling, it isn’t magic to figure out it will hit the ground.
that must be why we humans have been so on the ball about not polluting the very planet that we live on or putting things in our own food that we know is bad for us… humans throughout history have been quite stupid for being intelligent mammals…
So what is your solution? Give power to a centralized authority to make a singular prediction of the future standardized? If we humans are so bad at predicting the future, are not our elected officials also limited by this inability? Or are they somehow wiser? Their incentives are to appease those who have most successfully lobbied for the greatest political power, in this case the unions. So we can’t point to them having “the public interest” in mind (as if that can be standardized and collectively enforced on a group of people in the first place). We also can’t point to their expertise in economics or extensive experience with running a business. nnnLet’s review; the Seattle City Council has no expertise in economics, no experience in running a business and has no vested interest in the outcome with regards to its effects on employers OR employees, and we still turn to these busy-body, paternalistic organizers for solutions?nnnThe conversation doesn’t so much hinge on whether or not economics can be asserted as a science with reliable laws, as many statists argue, as it does on WHO has a higher claim on how and where to utilize the value created in society. I say those who create that value have the highest claim on its use, the statist argues a concentrated few having nothing to do with its creation should determine how and where it should be used. nnnHaving or not having the ability to accurately predict the future in no way justifies the centralization of economic authority. That’s how mafias operate.
All I hear is crickets… Well put Scott!
Actually, except for the blathering, you’re pointless…
Miami heat or the SA spurs?
Diana.. so now you are segregating the “right to make a living wage”. .Not fair to the people who furthered their education”.. while those that could not because they are not among the financial elite.. nor are interested in and education.. this means they are not entitled to a living wage? This is the biggest problem.. your perspective is one of the causes of this happening.. your disregard for the greater good.. saving your support for those who “choose” or are lucky to have the educational opportunities. You forget and don’t see those who don’t have the same educational aspirations as you. .or those that you respect. Sorry. this is a very big part of our problems. .not one of your points support the best for all of our citizens. . I don’t think the full $15 raise is correct.. however I do believe this opens a more important discussion. .who “deserves” a full life? Only those that can afford one? Thanks for your input.. mine just is different.. not better.. not worse..
Sounds like you have the opinion of a communist.
As opposed to a Nazi?nSEE how much that sort of juvenile tactic helps a discussion?nnWorkers making more means more people able to eat out in those restaurants means they can raise prices to cover the wages. nnIt’s not acceptable that the ‘prior economic model’ was based in essentially exploitation. nn
You need to read some Rothbard or Mises, my friend. aaa’s comments, while appearing as a slander to you are actually quite appropriate here. jimbo8118’s comment assumes 1. that a centralized authority has the right to determine what people are “worth” in economic terms AND that that centralized authority is the “wisest” at making that call. These are essentially the underlying philosophical assumptions of the vast majority of communist ideologies, and they are completely unfounded. nnnCalling aaa a Nazi on the other hand… now that WAS just a slur. There is no sign of nationalism or ethnocentrism or any of the other principles of Hitler or the The National Socialists in his comment.
The nazis fear mongered about ‘communism!!’ too. nIt’s entirely appropriate because screaming communism is meant to end the conversation; not as actual analyses. nn
Well, you can question his motives and conversation strategy all you want but the CONTENT of his comment was well founded. Regardless of how you or I or anyone else feel about communism, jimbo8118 WAS operating from a communist ideological standpoint, and to simply ask or observe that one’s comments sound communist, is not “fear mongering”. nnnSecondly, if you find it fair to equate every ideology that condemns communism with the Nazis, then I’d be skeptical of your general ability to think rationally to any meaningful degree.
Commie, Nazi, & Mafia…so except name calling…GOT ANYTHING ??
Just like Liberals screaming “raci” 🙂
But the ‘liberals’ didn’t. AAA did. nBut hey, if the hood fits…
Yeah, especially when Democrats elected a Grand Wizard of The KKK.
You really need to see a DR about the screaming you hear, racist.
You First.Then stop calling anyone who disagrees with a Liberal, especially Obama The Emperor.
Nutso ALERT !!!nnWhen they pull out the rhetoric, out goes logic….
Last time is was mafia, are you high ???
Actually, it’s much worse. It just boils down to “I want more money!” I know plenty of people who grew up poor and still worked hard to make something of themselves. If you’re flipping burgers at 35, then it’s more likely you’re there because of some failure on your part, not of society’s. nYou want to know who deserves a “full life”? Those who are willing to work hard and earn it, not beg for it as if they were entitled to it and having corrupt union officials expropriate it from others who have worked hard for what they have. It’s parasites like you that will ruin this country.
It’s people who don’t get that Ayn Rand was just bad young-adult fiction who already have ruined it.
Thanks for your “analysis” and resistance to sinking to “juvenile tactics”…”meant to end a discussion”
Oh look, something else you don’t understand.
And Liberals who didn’t head the warning of Orwell before they embraced them.
LMAO !nnnnn If you had a point, you’d use a lot less rhetoric….
And you’d have a clue what you were talking about (or I was talking about for that matter). But the clueless warrior of the faith that is you goes on his merry mind…
I’ve never met a person in my life who starved to death while earning a minimum wage. In fact, the WHO reports that under 10 people starve in America each year. You know what that means? It means that the minimum wage is fine as is. Just because you can’t buy your shiny new iphone every year doesn’t mean you deserve more money. Get a clue.
Also Jimbo, everyone in the country is eligible for FAFSA and Pell Grants. I make WAY above poverty and am still eligible. So those who have had less access to education than me do not exist. You folks like to keep talking about those who have no access to education but never provide an example. You mean the mother with 5 kids who cant afford the sitter to go to school? Tough shit, you had 5 kids dummy. You mean the poor immigrant worker who can’t afford to go to school? Tough shit, apply for student loans and realize you have WAY more opportunities for schooling than regular citizens. You mean the black kid in the projects? Tough shit, go to the library and use the free internet to apply to a school. You guys can never provide a real example because none exist. Education is available to everyone who isnt a lazy idiot. You aren’t going to get into Harvard with a 2.0, why? Because you are dumb and won’t make it. Should have paid more attention in class. You make your own future and will no matter where you are.
There are a lot of slippery slope arguments going on here – No one knows what will happen. There are 2 sides to this argument – one is presented here. Another is that there will be millions more dollars that will be put into our economy that can increase spending at restaurants, malls, small businesses etc. No one knows what will happen. So let’s all calm down 🙂
I can get on board with your sentiment that no one knows exactly how this will play out, or precisely how it will effect the economy. Some feel the study of economics should act more as a science while others argue we are’t there yet, or that we won’t ever get there.nnI’m no economist (though I have my own intuitions about this question) so for the sake of discussion, let’s say that we DON’T know. Let’s say that it’s only predictable to a very crude degree, such that we can’t rely on economists’ projections very confidently. nnBut we still must make a decision, no? Either governments, or business owners, or whoever to whom we grant control of the resources that are used to fund a decision like raising the minimum wage. Either way, the person with that authority must make some assessment of how human action and economies operate in order to make the best decisions for how to use the resources they have the authority to control. nnThe state has the economic model(s) they trust, (the vast majority of which are more or less in the tradition of John Maynard Keynes) and individuals have any number of their own economic models by which they must functionally trust. Economic models are always used to make these decisions regardless of whether they are made privately or publicly. So it isn’t so much about whether the dissenters of this law can predict the future, or even about whether or not ANYONE can; it’s about what economic model MOST ACCURATELY does this, and who we empower with the authority to make that decision.
Sure we know what will happen. All you have to do is look at the economies of cities and countries where this has been tried around the world. The minimum wage is a government wage control. Wage and price controls have been failures anywhere they’ve been implemented around the world, because they ignore market forces and try to apply a one-size- fits- all approach to the economy. nnWhen your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Government is not benevolent. Force is its main tool, and too many in government think they can just pass laws to make things right, completely ignoring economic realities and/or human nature. They seem wholly unaware of “unintended consequences” or historical failures of their polices elsewhere, preferring instead the delusion that it just hasn’t been tried by the right people yet.
Everyone who makes more than minimum wage knows what will happen miss. You really think Starbucks is just going to take a 60% increase in wages they are paying out in stride? You are naive.
I believe a Starbucks coffee shop is more capable of taking a hit like that, compared to a Mom & Pop shop. But yes, it will be interesting to see how companies in the area handle things when changes start to filter in over the next 4-5 years.
Raise the prices by a dime an item & the increased wages are covered… Whew, hard work…
Wow, you really have no business sense do you.
WOW !nnnYou really have no ANSWER, do ya ???
Wow! That was quite a dissertation you gave there.
He nailed ya, hon !nn nnGeez, if you have nothing intelligent about THIS TOPIC, just leave…It’s a minimum wage increase. GEEZ… get a Midol.
What is this obsession with Midol that you have, are you a woman-hater?
Naw, just observant, tea [email protected]…
Sure, I want you to get help with your “disposition”, which proves…according to you, whatever you blather.nnnnnAgain, SEEK HELP PSYCHO !!!
You first. You need it much more.
Just trying to help, man…nnnnnLMAO !
Help with what? your childish obsessions. No thanks.
I don’t share with psychos & you’re a proven liar, hon…nnLMAO !nnLMAO !nnToo hard to discuss like an adult ?? Figured.
Yeah, children like you would have trouble discussing anything with an Adult.
Poor baby….. A complete partisan troll…
Yes, you are. Congrats, we can both agree on that.
Poor Sob, just a really poor loser, with an unhappy “life”.
Such a hateful little child.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Is the wee little Liberal bored?
Is the nuts con [email protected] weasel pointless ??
No where near as pointless as you are dearie.
You have NO LIFE !!!
HHAHAAHah ahahahahahaahahahahhaah !!!!
Reached the limit of your intelligence I see. Can’t do anything but cut-and-paste the same answer.
You have NO LIFE/BRAIN, copycat !!!
HHAHAAHahahhHAHAHAHaha hahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
7.
8.
That’s 9.
You have NO LIFE/BRAIN, copycat !!!
HHAHAHah HAHHHAHAHAA ahhaha hahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
Reached your Maximum intelligence I see.
You have NO LIFE/BRAIN, copycat !!!
HHAHAAHahHA gaggaagag WHEW ~~~HHAHAHAA ahhaha hahahahaah hahhaah !!!!
Does ObamaCare cover your hairball?
You have NO LIFE !!!
Why don’t you find a life & a point, your irrational hatred is UNHEALTHY !
HHAHAAHahahhah ahahahahahaah hahhaah hhahahahhahahahahhhh AHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAhaahHAAhahahahha!!!!
3.
Poor stroke victim, ThOsE randumb caps are a clue….
Probably need to get an MD to look at you.
Use your ObamaCares, StAt !!!!
Well, I see your liberal education, grammar and “vocabulary” are shining examples of your “intelligence” 🙂
Thanks !!!
So…. your “theory” is Starbucks pays minimum wages ???nnLMAO ! Schultz said, “On balance, I am a supporter of the minimum wage going up.”
Well, if you want to put millions of dollars in the economy and create lots of high paying, good consumer jobs, I have the perfect industry for you — OIL and Natural Gas! (whoops! sorry, those jobs aren’t part of the liberal agenda so they aren’t worthy of your notice). The unemployment rate in North Dakota is HALF the national average. So if you want good high paying jobs and stimulate the economy, you know where to look. But you can’t lead the ideologically blind… 🙂
I would imagine that most restaurants will be switch to using tip credits to help offset the wage increase. What I haven’t seen yet is the required cash wage for tipped employees as that will be the true wage for many front of the house employees. For baristas and small tip earners, you can expect that since you now receive $15.00 per hour you will no longer receive any cash tips what so ever.
Washington isn’t a tip credit state, and they voted against making it, restuarants will be forced to pay servers $15/hr.
I can see where he is coming from – except when he starts ranting about parking and bridge tolls as a way to get more money and keep people at home. On the contrary – raising cost of driving into the city and parking in the city makes it seem more convenient to just move into the city centers. It also makes more people use public transportation – which is a good thing – because the more people use public transit, the more public transit develops – the more people will have easy access into the city – alleviating traffic for those who insist on driving – meaning more people int the cities – meaning more customers. Your business will do better if more people decide they want to move into the city – which is what has been happening over the past 6 years as people get sick of commuting to work and spending more on gas then they can afford because they live in sprawled out suburbs. And when more people move to the city, more people go out to restaurants. So don’t blame any of those variables on weak business or your income. nAnd these days, people don’t just go into the city to shop – they go into the city for entrainment and dining. nThat all being said – i agree that minimum wage hike to $15 an hour across the board is not a great idea – HOWEVER, the timeline is pretty far out – and i suspect that was done on purpose – because the reality is – chances are – in 5 years – your likely going to be raising employees wages to that price anyway. If you are not able to provide $15 an hour to an employee 5 years from now – you probably have other problems with your business model aside from a minimum wage increase. In 5 years – $15 an hour will be nothing- it will be the equivalent of 9 bucks an hour now.
I think you are using your own anecdotal evidence here. Those things do not make people want to move into the city. It makes people want to stay away completely. It makes people want to work from home and businesses to find locations that are cost friendlier.nnnIt’s also been proven that those things do not make more people ride public transportation. The cost of that is rising which lowers ridership as well. Not to mention the developing of those systems isn’t being done either. They are a crap system that instead of being reworked properly we just throw away money on it.nnnAlso, thinking that gas prices make people want to live in the city rather than the suburbs is ridiculous. The rent difference alone negates the gas and more. Paying to live in the city is up to 2 times as expensive as living outside it. Places like Burien and Renton are seeing huge growth and prosperity because of this. Not to mention that for that money people get more square footage, private yards and garage space.nnnI agree that the minimum wage jump to $15 isn’t the answer to the economic issues. I’m not sure what the answer is. But I think you’re looking at the rest backwards.
Whiner…The same thing was said in the 1930’s when the wage went to.25 cents..These pukes will simply take home a little off the top of their million dollar incomes. Really does anyone expect the working poor to live in Seattle reasonably at liess that 15.00 an hour ? really ? The Washington State min wage is already 9.32 an hour. The median income for the Seattle area was over 65,000 dollars in Seattle in 2012. at 15.00 an hour ( 30,000 a year )these people are still less than half the median Seattle area wage. It seems he is saying I got mine, now you can eat cake. That didn’t work out so well for the Queen of France and don’t suspect it will for this guy either.
Who says anyone has to live in Seattle?
Have you ever working in the industry. That’s a bunch of crap. Been in the industry for over a decade and no server I know makes less than 15 dollars an hour after tips. Oh ya those. They are also wages. So you want 15 an hour plus still expect to get the 10 plus dollars an hour in tips you get.
It doesn’t have anything to do with college degrees!!! Minimum wage is lagging far behind where it should have already been. Instead of looking at people with more experience or degrees getting paid as much as an inexperienced worker………..you should be mad as hell that they were not getting $23 all this time.
Thats all good and fine, but its time to have social conscious about the pay of our fellow humans.
Conscience. The word you meant to use was conscience. Way to prove the point about unskilled workers.
Diana has no clue. I’ve worked in places where the server with the lowest education had a BA. I have an MBA and I made as much money Bartending in nightclubs as I do know. That said, my last club gig paid me $45-75/hour in cash tips. It would be ridiculous to give me a $15 hourly on top of that. This minimum wage hike is a bad idea the way they’ve structured it.
$15 minimum wage……stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life! Quickest way to cripple an economy.
We need to stop telling the upcoming work force they have to pay tens of thousands of dollars for an education (and debt), just to graduate into a society where there aren’t jobs and all they can find are minimum-wage jobs that don’t afford a decent lifestyle ON TOP OF education debt.
There are jobs all over the place. Maybe not for people with fine arts degrees, but for those with useful degrees, you can’t keep the offers away. I have a meeting next week with a potential new employer wanting to up my salary by over 40%.
They can move to North Dakota. It has the lowest Unemployment rate in the US.nMind you the best jobs are consider evil politically incorrect jobs…:)
Are you people that naive to think that a 15$ an hour wage hike will change your lives bv it’s not I’m not a college graduate but I know that see wage increase by that much all at once everything will increase. the end of the day you very well may end up more broke with your new wage then before bc everyone including rent and mortgage will go up also on top of that no one is going to visit, loss of tourism, bc lets face it your no New York who is going to pay the price it will cost to stay in your city, very few. Yes you have a mountain/volcano but most people who visit places like that camp and don’t spend a lot of money out door types like to save money. If you think this wage hike is going to make a difference it will, it will likely ruin your state. What goes up always comes down. From someone who makes minimum wage. Use your brain really think what this is going to do. Your elected officials should have carefully considered it got and economics professor in there and spelled it out for all. When it fails snd it eill you will all be left with huge bills and no money to pay them. The issue isn’t the wage you make its cost of living issue and its something that needs to be addressed but cant be fixed over night and its a country thing every state needs help. Im sorry for all of you…
Here in Texas we have a resturant who pays their employees a “living wage” so they don’t accept tips. Accountants, doctors, lawers, teachers, retail, customer service and other careers don’t get tips but are paid a higher base wage. why should anyone feel obligated to tip now that everyone is being paid a living wage and these prices are already affecting consumers?
I agree and I won’t be tipping more than a couple bucks when I eat in Seattle. It is a relief to me to know that they are going to be making a living wage so I don’t have to go through the process of trying to figure out just how much they deserve when I’m trying to enjoy an evening on the town.
You’re nicer than me. I’ll make sure to not tip a dime the next time I’m in Seattle. That will be freeing.
So much for all those people who actually paid to get an education only to have a better opportunity to make a good living. With a 15.00 min wage everything will get more expensive. Groceries, gas, electricity. Etc… People like myself won’t be getting a pay raise but I will be forced to pay more to survive! THANKS!
Hey restaurant people, kiss gratuities good bye.
Lol I have worked in the service industry and do NOT think I deserved more than minimum wage. Your taking dinner orders from people and bringing food to them.. how is that a skill or in any way a challenge… most of the people in the service idustry with degrees picked a worthless degree like art, history or psychology. Minimum wage is for people with a minimal skill. I.e. bringing food out from a kitchen… AND im not even mentioning the fact that servers get tipped. I’ve honestly never understood why servers think they deserve 15 to 20 percent gratuity… you’re doing your job… maybe if you did some sort of circus act to entertain me then shit yeah I’ll throw you a few extra bucks. Anyway, go get a skill and you’ll never have to worry about minimum wage again.
Ok so a good solid education is not good enough if you picked art, history or psychology. LOL I have A BA in Photography and I am a server. I am 40 years old. I DO utilize my degree. I disagree with the idea that servers do not require skills because they do. I have worked and trained many individuals who are unable to be servers because they cannot learn the skill. They are unorganized, unable to multitask, do not know how to carry plates properly, have no people skills, are lazy, have bad attitudes, do not work well in a team setting, do not know how to up sell, do not know how to answer a phone properly, do not address guests in a professional manner amongst other important attributes that require one to be an awesome server! I do not ONLY take an order and bring it out from the kitchen sir! I make between 800 and 1000 dollars a week being a skilled server. It is about selling a product like anyone else SELLING a product. Servers are a dime a dozen until you figure out that it does take skill and not everyone can do it. Just like everyone is not able to be a doctor, lawyer, forklift operator, lion tamer, iron worker, ballerina, science teacher, mathematician, astronaut, wall street wonder or any other job that you may consider respectful and worth being able to live a life above poverty!
I am guessing that if people are going to go out to eat that they will end up tipping less.
Why tip at all?
I’m pretty sure if we could legislate away poverty, someone would have done it by now (oh wait, see Soviet Russia). The truth of the matter is that every city council person showed that they do not understand basic economics. Let’s say a furniture maker saw the price of their raw goods (i.e. wood, a commodity product) increase 60%. You would expect their prices to go up accordingly (and wouldn’t see anything wrong with it). However, because the commodity is labor (and that is what service businesses are selling), it’s somehow attacked as immoral or wrong for a business not to overpay for that commodity. The same argument was made for health care ‘reform’, that somehow, because it’s compassionate we can ignore economic reality. nIt will be interesting (amusing) to see the aftermath of this: Businesses that can move will, businesses looking to move will not choose Seattle, tax revenue (for the city) will fall, and for the businesses that do remain, their prices will rise and many will go out of business. Seattle has already been sliding back to its seedy past, with homeless panhandlers everywhere. When Seattle’s billboard reads “No jobs but lots of benefits! Legal weed too!” it will start to look like Detroit.
So many comparisons to Detroit on this thread. Thought it would be obvious that the situation is very different in the two cities. The comparison is not apt.
Not yet, but the demographics of Detroit are a warning for what happens when government decides to be generous without a sufficient economic base to support the largesse. Only 1 in 7 residents of Detroit have a private sector job, which is insufficient to support the promised benefits to their public sector employees. My real concern for Seattle is that’s it’s starting to slide back to the 70s in many areas. I feel safer (and less harassed) walking around Chicago. Lots of drugs, lots of indigent and raising the minimum wage is not going to help those people. If businesses leave in droves, it doesn’t take long for buildings to decay and the downward spiral will be in effect.
Globalization coupled with a down economy and the Wall St.-engineered housing crisis did far more to hurt Detroit than over-promising from government. Seattle has basically none of the problems Detroit has. The comparison is still not apt.
Honestly, I don’t mind paying more for the things I buy if it means that those on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder will be able to enjoy a better standard of living. I really don’t see this forcing businesses to close in mass numbers. First, those pulling in minimum wage will have more money to spend (and they do spend pretty much every cent they earn) in those businesses so they will see an uptick in sales. And second, no businessman in the history of ever has closed because he made a little less profit. Zero profit is never a better business decision than some profit.
Nope, they don’t close. They just move away to places where the profits are better and climate less hostile. You can look to California and Texas for proof of that. As noted, some businesses won’t be able to leave right away because they are locked into long term leases and such, but as soon as they are free, you will see a mass exodus. As for having more money to spend, maybe. Of course, since they will be paying 20-25% more for everything, they won’t actually be buying any more of anything because they will have no more spending power than before. Have fun.
Then you have to raise the minimum wage again so they can afford the higher prices that were necessitated by paying the higher minimum wage, it is an infinite circle, leading to inflation. Short term short sighted solutions? leading to long term problems.
So that just tells us that it would be great for workers to enjoy the same benefits everywhere in the US. Whatever you think of the mobility of businesses, people will want to live there and business go where customers are. Some businesses can’t move, like port-related and forestry and such, not to mention a certain software maker in the area. These are not boutique cottage industries apt to move on a whim.
Until the liberal virus spreads like a cancer that is….
I’m guessing your not a business owner. Just for simple math let’s say this increases wages by $1 Million per year and all of that is spent in Seattle. Out of that $1 Million in sales increase only a percentage (around 50%) of that is profit, the rest covers cost of goods. So that means business are still short 50% so sales would need to increase another $1 Million to cover the raise.
Ok, I don’t see where in my post I mentioned specific numbers, though. It’s pretty safe to say that pretty much every cent of that raise will get spent again in the city, probably several times over.
Or the CEO’s could take it out of their 3 million dollar a year bonuses.. those poor, unfortunate souls…
So let’s just charge you $15 for your hamburger. You should be happy.
If they cost $7 for a meal now, we’d be paying perhaps $8..nnnnnPartisan hate is really ugly, moniKKKers.
Yeah, Liberals calling everyone a raci is pretty hateful. But at least we didn’t elect a Grand Wizard of The KKK like the Democrats did. 🙂
Still “living” in the past ??nnGeez, if you have nothing intelligent about THIS TOPIC, just leave…It’s a minimum wage increase. GEEZ… get a Midol.
Grow up.
Get new meds….
I did say at the start that I wouldn’t mind paying more for things. Realistically though, if, as you seem to imply, a restaurant is only selling one burger per employee per hour, they’re not going to be in business very long anyway. Exaggeration is unconvincing.
It’ll implode the King County economy. Which is to say, that of the entire state. Russian roulette with all chambers loaded.
As a small business owner, I will have to let go of 1/2 of my employees because I simply cannot afford them. n
You obviously haven’t paid much attention then, as a small business you have 7 years to comply.. if you aren’t profitable enough in 7 years to pay your employees a liveable wage, then you shouldn’t be in business.
Yeah the inflation rate in 7 years will most certainly help that out. Not to mention the liberal regulations…
That is not fair to these college kids who are looking for just part time work
Where are all you armchair economists when the government is handing out corporate bailouts. OH GOD, THEY’RE RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE, EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE. Uh huh, right. Why can’t you whine like that when corporations are jumping through a circus-like series of hoops to get out of paying taxes and raising their pay by millions per year? Why is the world about to end because someone gets paid a few more bucks an hour, but when the top CEOs are screwing us out of billions, it’s no big deal?
I think government bailouts (or subsidies) of private enterprise are a horrible idea. GM and Chrysler should have gone through normal bankruptcy, but the government bowed to the pressure of the unions (just like the Seattle city council) and illegally gave majority interest to those unions while stealing from investors who made, in good faith, SECURED loans (i.e. I get paid before anyone else from the liquidation of assets) to those companies so they would be prevented from forcing the unions to renegotiate their too expensive contracts.nUnions and labor forcibly sold at well above market prices – see any recurring themes? Ever wonder why offshoring happens?
lol… But you have no problem with the $390 billion in tax cuts the gop signed off to those giant corporations that are offshoring, right?
Really? How about Solyndra, GM, The ObamaCare Waivers, etc. Oh, right, you’re a blind partisan hack….
Many minimum wage jobs are small businesses that don’t make Millions. If a small store or restaurant has 5 full time workers that is an extra $50,000 per year in payroll. Your really think the average small guy can absorb that kind of increase?
Small businesses are not effected by this increase, also, you’ll find that most small businesses pay well above the minimum wage already – it’s the corporate giants that look at their employees as numbers as a spreadsheet that are constantly trying to cut every expense so they can say ‘See! We made more money this year!’ at their shareholder meetings
Small businesses not affected? You are so naive.
He is clueless, thinks small business is exempt from this for some reason. Read a few of his post, he watches a lot of Rachel Madcow on MSNBC.
So what do you think is a “small business”?
Employees don’t create jobs, for one. Louisiana and Canada are offering the best incentives for filmmmaking, and are, surprise, surprise, getting more growth of film business than any other area, comparatively. When a state gives a deal to a company, it’s not welfare, it’s an investment that you expect a return on, generally many times what you invested. I don’t believe in bailouts, nor crony capitalism, but you give incentives to encourage business growth. When you force wage hikes, you dis-incent business growth. The only fair wage hike is when individuals refuse to work for a wage, and the business owner must decide whether to increase pay or close up shop. But at least ha is a fair agreement between parties, no one is forced by law to act against their best interests.
Oh you mean like Obama and his cronyism $$$$- Solyndra, GM, Bank of America, Etc. Oh sorry, did you mean just non-liberal corporations? 🙂
I see many comments about who deserves to get paid how much, skill levels, and other things that totally miss the point of the article. What the article is saying is that if everyone in Seattle got this minimum wage increase, every company would have to raise their prices accordingly. The net result is that the buying power of that $15 per hour will be the same as or less than the current minimum wage is now. When the cycle comes back to where it is now, people will be calling for another wage increase with the same result in buying power.
Or their CEO could take a slightly less bonus (Cause 1.5 Million a year isn’t enough to live on, right?)
What about Tom Cruise and $20 million dollars a picture? Or a Footbal Player making multiple millions a year? Why are you so obsessed with CEO’s (or right Liberal Media indoctrination). Do you feel the same way about Congress? or Starbucks? 🙂
so, to my understanding this will effect the LARGER, more highly staffed businesses. so when i see comments about profit for business owners the first thought goes into my head. are they taking about their profit… or their scalping, lets face it, larger companies are raking in a lot of money, this should not hurt them, after all, with out all of the hard work from others, they would have nothing. Now smaller businesses i can understand some concerns. people gripe about others to get off welfare, handle your bills, they cant wait to put their noses and 2 cents in, but when there is a way that may help, people gripe about that. some people just like to bitch! some people cant go to school, because they don’t make enough to support themselves through it, think about it. there is pros and cons on both sides
So how many “large” businesses does Seattle have compared to “small” businesses? As I drive around town I see 95% small stores and a hand full of the big buys.
It will affect all of them, don’t fall for the trap. Our politicians are stupid enough already, we don’t need to be. If there’s a ‘big brand’ store next to you, and they have to pay $15/hr, for the same tasks as a small business next to them pays $9, then all the employees at the small biz will be going to the big biz, constantly hobbling the small biz, adding to retraining/hiring costs, losing expertise, etc. Plus, the inflation that will hit the whole area, not to mention all the unions expecting raises pegged officially or unwritten to the min wage price. It will affect everyone, it hurts the economy, less people will be doing okay than are today, and the law of unintended consequences will once again slap the stupid liberals across the face, and they will blame the ‘greedy business owners’ that decided to open up shop in the suburbs or small cities rather than Seattle.
Wait a second. The $15 wage includes tips. So, while he will have to pay them slightly more, he won’t be paying the full difference because server tips cover the majority of the hourly wage. I used to work in the service industry and we knew how much of our tips we had to report in order to equal the minimum wage. The rest went unreported into our pockets. Also, We don’t shop downtown but we often go there for dinner. Lunch may be related, dinner not so much.
I believe the $15 does not include tips last I heard
of course it includes tips.. if it didn’t that would be about a $13 an hour raise, lol
In Washington state workers get minimum wage + tips. Right now that is 9.23 + tips and will go to 15 + tips. From reading your post one can conclude you are clueless of facts
I’m a waiter and I’m happy with minimum wage. When I started waiting tables I knew what I was getting into. Minimum wage is fair for servers, bartenders, baristas, restraint employees etc…. If you don’t like the wage find a different job or go back to school.
Except for that more than half of college graduates work for minimum wage…
Some facts on minimum wage earners, from .gov Bureau of Labor:n – ~97% of workers make more than minimum wage. n – Of the 3.6 million making min wage, 55% are age 25 or younger.n – That leaves 1.1% of all workers over 25 making minumum wage.nn – Within that group, most are NOT POOR or trying to raise a family. 63%n of these workers are the 2nd and 3rd wage earner in the family, and 43%n live in households making over n$50K.(For example, I make a decent living, pay the bills. My wifen makes a little money on the side, sometimes making minimum wage. There nare loads of families like that, so subtract those from the 1.1% pool as well)n – In 1980 15% of workers made the minimum wage, now it’s down to around 3-4%nn – In my opinion, if there’s a 35 year old making minimum wage dumping nfry baskets at McDs, and he has a family to raise, and he hasnt’ moved non from minimum wage after a year, then he needs to look at the 16 year nold doing the same job next to him, and the McD’s franchise owners who nwon’t increase his pay for the same low-skilled job, and realize that nhe’s the problem, not the owner providing starter jobs, and not the npimply faced kid making spending money.
Dam facts, I wanted to believe half of minimum wage workers had a degree.
Yeah, and you don’t see the reason for that, through your ideological blinders and your class warfare do you?
The old minimum wage I meant….. I think $15 an hour is rediculous and inflated. No good for the economy or businesses.
I’m so tired of servers, bartenders, and cooks and anyone else in a service industry being put down by people with ncollege degrees. No, we should not get paid as well as a surgeon, and, yes, if you want a surgeon’s salary, you should go be a surgeon or do something that pays equally well. That being said, no one is saying people in the service industry should be paid as well as a surgeon, and I think most of us agree that everyone should get paid based on their skill level. nnBut there does need to be recognition that very industry requires a set of knowledge and skill. In Seattlen especially, being a good server, bartender, and cook requires an extensive nknowledge of food, wine, beer, and liquor. If you have this knowledge, you deserve to be paid well. That the knowledge wasn’t obtained in a classroom and doesn’t require a degree doesn’t matter. You have a knowledge and skill set that’s in demand, and you should be paid well for it. True there are servers, bartenders, and cooks that skim by; I don’t think they deserve $15/hr. But those that are highly skilled in these areas deserve to get paid for it. For the most part, I think our current system does that. If you work at a diner and want to get paid better, improve your skills so you can get hired at a better restaurant. So let’s drop the college-educated pretentiousness (and I do say this as someone with a college degree) and respect everyone for the nknowledge they have and the service they provide, and that we demand they provide whenever we ask our server or bartender about the IBU of an IPA, what every wine on the menu tastes like and what it will pair well with, where every piece of meat on our menu comes from and how it was raised and what it was fed etc., etc. We’re all relying on each other for skills and knowledge we don’t have ourselves, so let’s just respect each other for what we can provide. (That was a very long and winded way of saying let the market decide who gets paid what, and if you want better pay, improve your skills or go do something else entirely.)n nI’m also tired of this whole “profits are evil” mentality. Businesses are concerned about their profits for a reason: They need to profit to stay in business, and I need the business I work for to profit if I’m going to stay employed and if I’m going to make a higher income. Yes, the CEO is concerned about his paycheck, but if businesses are saying they are going to have trouble paying all their employees at least $15/hr then we need to listen to them, especially small businesses. They have more concerns than the higher ups’ salaries. They are expressing real concerns about being able to stay in business. It might be too early to freak out, but this was a plan that came about through political pressure and not economic reality. There is reason for concern.
I love the lecture about how these jobs were not ‘designed’ to provide for a family. Why bother working at all? So, are you suggesting that minimum wage jobs are for teenagers and part timers? Have you ever looked at who actually works these jobs? Clearly you DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. Speaking of DESIGNS, if your business is not DESIGNED to provide a living for your employees, just to provide YOU and your family a wonderful home and life, perhaps YOU do not deserve to be in the business…restaurant or otherwise. Yes, there is a small percentage of folks that do not deserve to have a job at all because they are lazy, uneducated, irresponsible, etc. Many of these folks actually run businesses, and many folks with very impressive degrees have destroyed our economy and banking systems…so, there’s that. As for the low-wage, entry level workers this will only motivate them to achieve more, be more responsible and productive as well as discourage the temptation to sell drugs and live a thug life because they will actually be able to support themselves legitimately for once.
Actually, you don’t know the figures. Some facts on minimum wage earners, from .gov Bureau of Labor:nn – ~97% of workers make more than minimum wage. n – Of the 3.6 million making min wage, 55% are age 25 or younger.n – That leaves 1.1% of all workers over 25 making minumum wage.nn – Within that group, most are not poor or trying to raise a family. 63%n of these workers are the 2nd and 3rd wage earner in the family, and 43%n live in households making over n$50K.(For example, I make a decent living. My wifen makes a little money on the side, sometimes making minimum wage in retail. There nare loads of families like that, with secondary min wage jobs contributing a little. Take all those people, a majority, out of the 1.1% number)n – In 1980 15% of workers made the minimum wage, now it’s down to around 3-4%nn – Dozens upon dozens in my large extended family made minimum wage whenn we started out as teens. It was a pass through, basically getting paid nto build up a work resume. None of my generation make that today, just nlike the generation before, and after. Those jobs are stepping stones.nn – In my opinion, if there’s a 35 year old making minimum wage dumping nfry baskets at McDs, and he has a family to raise, and he hasn’t moved non from minimum wage after a year, then he needs to look at the 16 year nold doing the same job next to him, and the McD’s franchise owners who nwon’t increase his pay for the same low-skilled job, and realize that nhe’s the problem, not the owner providing starter jobs, and not the npimply faced kid making spending money.
In my opinion, he’s a serious working trying to support a family, who deserves more, than the part timers who don’t have to care…
So, he’s getting it, teatwit.
Well I will no longer be visiting Seattle area restaurants when I very rarely make it to the west side of the mountains. All the more reason to never move back. I feel sorry for all my friends and family still there. #keepyoursorryasspoliticsconfinedtothewestside!
I really can’t believe some of the ignorance in these comments. I definitely can’t believe the ignorance in our politicians! Tom is right. I’m sure all of you making $9 an hour are thrilled to be making more and feel it’s deserving. Kudos to you! I’m happy for you. Everyone that works hard feels a sense of entitlement to more. But guess what, $15hr doesn’t mean anything when everything you buy now ends up inflating along with it. Say you make $9hr and your rent in Seattle is $800, maybe you split it with a roommate and pay $500, but now you’re making $15hr so you’ve got to be able to afford more! If I’m your landlord I’m guessing you can afford a couple of hundred dollars more since you make more. You want a burger from Red Robin for $10.49, oops, everyone in Seattle makes more so that’s going to be $14.95 and that fountain soda you order is $4.95 now too. You see everyone wants to argue how much they deserve the increase because they’ll be able to afford more, but I have yet to hear anyone recognize that the issue isn’t solved by increasing pay. Increasing minimum wage is a bandaid that only antagonizes the obvious issue of inflation. The costs of living are out of control whether it be rent or home values. Raising minimum wage doesn’t fix that it makes it worse. The priority should be reducing and managing how inflated these costs to consumers are so that $9hr is a living wage. Not turning a blind eye to the glaring problem and indirectly throwing money at it. I get a sense that consumers think they are being cheated by businesses because they have it made. Small businesses don’t “have it made” and sometimes the slightest changes in costs have the biggest impacts. Small businesses, much like a middle class, are what strengthen an economy, but much like middle class is disappearing because of government so are small businesses because of employees and consumers.
It’s not the employees fault that their employer is going to increase your prices so they can take home an extra half million dollar bonus.nnnAlso, “Small Businesses” are excluded.
They are not
Define “small”. Then look up Class Envy while looking in the mirror at your greedy self.
Poor sob,
Just an angry, partisan poo poo…
Yes, you are. Glad you can see that.
You’ve been counting a lot of posts, putz….
Will you ever “achieve” a 10 count ?? Hardly HAR HAR !!! A peek into the private life of a mindless teahadist twit? Ya Little ZERO !! 🙂
HAHAH AHAA HAHAHHAHAHA !!! HAHAHAHAHA !!
I don’t come into Seattle to eat anyway. Traffic is terrible, parking is exorbitant and practically non-existent, and the eateries are already over priced. This raise in wages won’t keep me from coming to Seattle to eat, Seattle has already taken care of that.
I am posting this in part because I firmly believe that mandated wages exclude young people from getting jobs. 1 million fewer teenagers are working today than a decade ago. In my opinion, this undeclared war on young people has to end. College debt. Living at home. Excluded from hospitality jobs. Really?nnnThis post by Seattle’s top chef asks legitimate questions. For the record, I have not fact checked the source, it’s late and today has had it’s own challenges, but I’d ask each of you who started working as a teen to please consider this perspective. You, our guests, will not support mandated wages by paying artificially inflated prices, making these laws a transfer of income from small business to entry level employees. Unfortunately the ghost in the room is the stark reality that the current employees who have already worked to earn better wages will find their hard earned efforts sacrificed on the altar of the ’14 political cycle as entry level employees reduce the revenue allocated to wages. nnnWhen unions throw out an agenda that the public does not understand to promote their own interests, at the expense of thousands of people who are currently employed, question the motives. Ad Populum legislation based on a few dramatic instances is like declaring war with bad intelligence. Didn’t work then, won’t work now. To wit…the real dynamic of tipped income is not being discussed. Happy to address the merits as I’ve been lobbying this issue on behalf of young people for four decades. White House, Annapolis, wherever. I have been an advocate for people who depend on hospitality and I now look askance at the current campaign to raise mandated wages. So here it is: the knee jerk, empirically unsupported raising of mandated wages has cost 1m teenage jobs in the last decade, perpetuating the ‘undeclared war’ on young people. Today this is a union/political issue driven by emotion not fact, targeted at the ’14/’16 election cycles. Example: A local bill just passed here. Though required by law, there was no economic income statement attached to the Bill. Why? No empirical data to support the mandates. Consider: you propose marginally raising entry level wages for 900k while cutting jobs completely for 500k. Really. Give it some thought. Again, the people who will pay these wages are not customers nor are they operators. The people who will pay for these mandates are the current employees who are paid between the new mandated wage and $25/hour. Yup. Those who may have earned raises will not see them to accomplish a union agenda. Great stuff, but disingenuous when you are pushing an agenda that you know will have this kind of impact but do not fully disclose who will bear the costs. Further considerations…where in the current media do you see an analysis of the impact of technology in hospitality accelerated by mandated labor costs? The transitioning of mid-casual full service restaurants into QSR feeders that have been cosmetically constructed to provide the feel of a full service operation without a service staff? True..tipping will eventually be eliminated, but because operators will not want to further burden themselves with the costs associated with new IRS requirements. Already the ‘auto-grat’ is going away because of new reporting requirements. Soon servers will be a luxury and most Americans will be serving themselves, ultimately losing a resource, tipped income, that has been invaluable for so many. Phew. Just the tip of the iceberg. I tell you what I told Alan Blinder in the White House in ’93. ‘When the inelasticity of small business intersects with the elasticity of progressive vision, there are consequences that we cannot predict.’ As to the merits of living wages…end the hypocrisy and go for $42/hour. Peace. :)nnnnBTW. Remember your first paycheck…and how proud it made you feel. nnPeace and Love.
I’m sure it has nothing to do with the billions of tax breaks we give corporations for moving jobs out of the country, right?
” Can or will your employer still afford health care? Staff meals? ” – They already don’t provide health care. Staff meals are always some sort of chicken… I’m sure they will be OK.
I’m reading this and I see the points, but I also feel for the minimum wage worker in Seattle (of which I was once one) who can barely make rent and has to commute an hour to work downtown from somewhere in the ‘burbs where they share an crappy apartment with three other people they don’t know.nSeattle has become too expensive for the low-income earner, thanks to big firms moving in that can afford to pay their employees a high salary, driving up rent costs. I worked with minimum wage earners during the height of the recession that had MBA’s, for chrissake. In Seattle, one of the most literate and also expensive cities in the U.S., MANY minimum wage workers actually have college degrees. I think these people deserve more, even if the restaurant industry has to take a couple hits here and there.
Most of those minimum wage workers are like you… in the process of moving up the economic ladder. It’s much harder to do that when you kick out the bottom rungs.nnnThe real minimum wage is $0.00 per hour. Those people who cant find a job are MUCH more likely to be robbing your house.
Tipping will disappear. I have never agreed with tips being counted as wages. Tipping is something that should be done as a reward for exceptional service, going above and beyond. No business, or taxing authority, should count on tips that may or may not meet their projections. I tip well, because I had a mother who once worked three waitress jobs to help support a large family. I know how hard servers work for a paltry wage, so I tip accordingly. With their wages now going to $15/hr, I’ll no longer feel the need to tip someone for doing their job. I don’t tip the mailman, the guy at the gas station, or the cop writing parking tickets, why would I tip someone who just does their job in a restaurant? Oh, there’ll be exceptions, but only if I felt the service was “above and beyond”; bringing my food doesn’t qualify. That said, what is this new attitude going to do to a server’s take home pay? It’s going to decimate it, because a good server can bring in far more than $15/hr, but will lose those extra tips, meaning their take home will actually drop. nnI agree with other posters; this will only benefit those collecting taxes, and that only as long as the jobs exist. As businesses have to bear the weight of the increased wages, all along the food chain, many won’t be able to keep their doors open. Those that do, will have to get creative with less employees, and more automation. As the saying goes, socialism only works UNTIL you run out of other people’s money. When that happens, and businesses start to close, the tax man WILL see a drop in tax revenues. The law of supply and demand can’t be overruled by government mandate.