Minimum wage increase passes House

[rainstorm]

sadly, it hurts the people the most who have the least job skills and ability to find work

[MGC]

Does anyone still work for the min wage? Several employers here have ads on billboards seeking workers for near 9 bucks an hour.......MGC

[GalvestonDuck]

I'm not opposed to slight increase...but $2.10 more over three years? That's 40%! I can't imagine getting 40% more than what I make now in just three years, without the obvious promotion to go with it. But just a wage adjustment?

Last wage increase was 1997 so that 40% spread over 9 years is just a little over 4%

Well, sure, for someone who has worked since '97, it is 4%. But what about Johnny Sophomore who just started his first job this summer?

[stormtruth]

I'm not opposed to slight increase...but $2.10 more over three years? That's 40%! I can't imagine getting 40% more than what I make now in just three years, without the obvious promotion to go with it. But just a wage adjustment?

Last wage increase was 1997 so that 40% spread over 9 years is just a little over 4%

Well, sure, for someone who has worked since '97, it is 4%. But what about Johnny Sophomore who just started his first job this summer?

I'm not sure how lucky Johnny Sophmore is to start out at $7.25. There are higher jobs out there. The point is that the hourly wage should at least keep pace with inflation. A 4% increase since 1997 would cover that. Otherwise you are basically asking the people getting the very lowest wages to stay at that pay rate so that costs won't rise for the rest of us. Sort of an unfair burden to put on the very poorest folks.

But I would agree that an increase to $7.25 could be too big of a jump.

[BUD]

Does anyone still work for the min wage? Several employers here have ads on billboards seeking workers for near 9 bucks an hour.......MGC

Yes,I know alot of people who are at jobs fulltime at that wage because sadly to say but SouthCarolina is the lowest payed state.The start out pay for a Game Warren in SC is around $16000!!!My mother has been at her job for 12 years and is only making $7 per hour!!!AND some jobs start people off less than the min wage if you are under 21 then they can start you out at 4.75 per hour.

[GalvestonDuck]

Well, sure, for someone who has worked since '97, it is 4%. But what about Johnny Sophomore who just started his first job this summer?

I'm not sure how lucky Johnny Sophmore is to start out at $7.25. There are higher jobs out there. The point is that the hourly wage should at least keep pace with inflation. A 4% increase since 1997 would cover that. Otherwise you are basically asking the people getting the very lowest wages to stay at that pay rate so that costs won't rise for the rest of us. Sort of an unfair burden to put on the very poorest folks.

But I would agree that an increase to $7.25 could be too big of a jump.

I'd say he's pretty lucky if he hasn't even graduated from high school and he's making that much. My main point was about the difference for a person who'd been working at that amount since '97 as opposed to a person who just started his first summer job while in high school and then gets a raise just like (*snaps fingers*) that.

However, I never said there shouldn't be a raise increase. My concern was about how substantial that increase would be.

[BUD]

I told the boss today about the pay increase and he just said'Well we would have to raise prices and lay off some people and the people who stay will have to put up the extra load.I also ask him about a pay increase because of the min wage increase.He said NO!!!!After work tonight I stop by a Walmart to talk to a friend and he is a manger he said the same lay offs!!!He told me most of the cashier make 6.50-6.75!!!To big of a jump in pay.

[storm4u]

its already $6.75 here!

heres a link to all the states! http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm

[Regit]

I told the boss today about the pay increase and he just said'Well we would have to raise prices and lay off some people and the people who stay will have to put up the extra load.I also ask him about a pay increase because of the min wage increase.He said NO!!!!After work tonight I stop by a Walmart to talk to a friend and he is a manger he said the same lay offs!!!He told me most of the cashier make 6.50-6.75!!!To big of a jump in pay.

They will have three years to plan for an increase of up to 75 cents. That's not much for one of the biggest companies in the world. There will be some companies that use this as an excuse to lay off, but those lay offs will have been coming anyway.

BUD is right about what he said a game warden in SC starting out at $16000. However, in many counties this is the median income. That comes out to $7.69 an hour. So if HALF of a county's employees are making less than that, the increase will be a huge help.

I know a lot of people like to discount min. wage because only high school students make it. This is incorrect, but even if it were, a huge number of high school students in the US are supporting their families. A lot of them turn over their paychecks to their parents every Friday.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a single mother of 2 making the NEW minimum wage will still live below the poverty line. She would need to make $7.98 (assuming she works full time) to escape poverty.

A lot of people who work at places like CVS, Tiger Mart, 7-11 and such work only 30 hours, so that the company doesn't have to provide benefits. That person would need to make $10.26 to escape poverty.

[j]

I'm dead set against an increase in the minimum wage, rather I'd like to see it decreased or dropped all together.

Quite simply, having a minimum wage law hurts the people it is intended to help. Low productive people will stay low-productive because there is no incentive for them to improve their output, they are being given more money for the same work.

Minimum wage laws simply don't work. They actually create (increased) teenage unemployment, the main sector they are intended to help.

A major problem is that the law destroys jobs, that are simply worth less than the minimum wage. Is it worse to be un-employed or employed at a lesser wage? Common laborers become too costly for companies to hire, thus economic growth slows. Minimum wage goes up...companies lay-off, social programs kick in, and we all pay for that. Employers who are forced to pay more money for lower level jobs, may consider cutting some programs that could have helped lower wage employees such as training programs.

Lets suppose there was no minimum wage. There are plenty of illegal immigrants out there working for less than the minimum wage. Why not make them legal, let employers pay them what they are worth, whatever that may be. If little Suzy or Bobby want to wash dishes and they bust their hump, maybe Mr Small restaurant owner will pay them more because his output is greater from the new generation of youth workers who see a chance to make more money by putting something into it.

I know I now...the other side will say it's up to the Employer to hire people who will work as he expects them to...But let's face it..today's kids are just plain lazy, and I say it's because they are given everything, and don't know how to earn it.

Taking away the Minimum wage would be a step in the right direction, to rewarding those teenagers who are willing to work, thus strengthening the business they work for. In the end, everybody makes out. Fewer jobs are cut...Employers get more output per worker...makes money...his business grows..he hires more people. The Economy grows, everybody from the top to bottom make out. Let's not forget..it's not bad for the rich to get richer, as long as they are paying your salary. That in fact is a good thing.

It's really simple economics.

[george_r_1961]

I'm dead set against an increase in the minimum wage, rather I'd like to see it decreased or dropped all together.

Quite simply, having a minimum wage law hurts the people it is intended to help. Low productive people will stay low-productive because there is no incentive for them to improve their output, they are being given more money for the same work.

Minimum wage laws simply don't work. They actually create (increased) teenage unemployment, the main sector they are intended to help.

A major problem is that the law destroys jobs, that are simply worth less than the minimum wage. Is it worse to be un-employed or employed at a lesser wage? Common laborers become too costly for companies to hire, thus economic growth slows. Minimum wage goes up...companies lay-off, social programs kick in, and we all pay for that. Employers who are forced to pay more money for lower level jobs, may consider cutting some programs that could have helped lower wage employees such as training programs.

Lets suppose there was no minimum wage. There are plenty of illegal immigrants out there working for less than the minimum wage. Why not make them legal, let employers pay them what they are worth, whatever that may be. If little Suzy or Bobby want to wash dishes and they bust their hump, maybe Mr Small restaurant owner will pay them more because his output is greater from the new generation of youth workers who see a chance to make more money by putting something into it.

I know I now...the other side will say it's up to the Employer to hire people who will work as he expects them to...But let's face it..today's kids are just plain lazy, and I say it's because they are given everything, and don't know how to earn it.

Taking away the Minimum wage would be a step in the right direction, to rewarding those teenagers who are willing to work, thus strengthening the business they work for. In the end, everybody makes out. Fewer jobs are cut...Employers get more output per worker...makes money...his business grows..he hires more people. The Econony grows, everybody from the top to bottom make out. Let's not forget..it's not bad for the rich to get richer, as long as they are paying your salary. That in fact is a good thing.

It's really simple economics.

Gonna strongly disagree with you there. Workers must be paid a fair wage. This idea of dropping or reducing the minimum wage would benefit big business only and make it even harder for workers to make ends meet while working a low paid dead end job. That would also take away the incentive to work since a reduction or elimination of the minimum wage would make it more financially appealing to draw public assistance than to work. It would also bring back the sweat shops common early in the 20th century.

[Janice]

I wonder how the increase in minimum wage will affect any chance of health benefits. I cannot see the employer even thinking of a health package for his employees if he has to start all new employees with a higher wage.

Also, the government will get more taxes out of this too. What about the underground and illegals who do not pay taxes. Do you suppose farmers will have to keep records and pay their pickers minimum too?

[rainstorm]

great post, j

[george_r_1961]

I wonder how the increase in minimum wage will affect any chance of health benefits. I cannot see the employer even thinking of a health package for his employees if he has to start all new employees with a higher wage.

Good point Janice. Unfortunatley many minimum wage jobs have no benefits whatsoever..no vacation, no insurance..no sick days..nothing.

[coriolis]

The saddest thing of all is that there's people out there who are trying to support a family on minimum wage. Thankfully there's food stamps, tax credits (that often return more money to people than they even paid in taxes), medical assistance, etc. Also, a lot of single moms collect child support. You put all that together and it amounts to a lot more than minimum wage.

I wonder if the increase in the minimum wage will push some people above the threshold so that their assistance is reduced. If that happens, there will be no net benefit, plus their job may become less secure.

I have a close relative plus two other women who are friends of our family who are all single moms. I've seen with my own eyes how they made terrible choices in their relationships and they got pregnant. For one of them, this is the second pregnancy. In all cases, their prospects for marriage are slim, so they gravitate towards the wrong kind of men. So they are constantly in and out of relationships and they very well may pick up another baby along the way. These persons and their children are going to have a very hard road ahead of them. It all goes back to "mistakes" that they made.

On the one hand, they can afford to be careless because the safety net is there for them. On the other hand, my heart goes out to them for all the suffering they're going through, plus all the suffering that they and their kids are going to go through. But then on the other hand, sometimes I want to smack them in the head for getting themselves into this mess in the first place.

I have to wonder if the minimum wage was ever meant to be a "living wage." I think that what has really changed is that the family is becoming an endangered institution. Those old fashioned family values are making a lot of sense to me.
Too much freedom is chaos.

[zoeyann]

I am really up in the air about this. It is good and bad at the same time.

I have worked at Wal-Mart and similar places, and I know all to well how this works. The first thing they do when times get tough is cut the slackers' hours to get them to quit (when noone wants to be the bad guy and fire someone) and put their work load onto others. This will in effect weed out the lazy and incompatent, but believe me when the others get there raises they will have to be working harder for it because they are picking up the slack but not necessarily getting more hours.

They are going to raise prices to make up the difference. And prices are already going to go up with drought and heatwave problems effecting the meat, dairy, and grain industries. Not to mention the effects of the hurricanes and weather in general on seafood, and the additional political problems helping raise gas prices.

I am not economist, but it seems to be unemployment will rise and then with the higher prices some people will be making more money, but they will be working harder for it and still be living below the poverty line because their pay increase will be used up paying more for the basics.

I have been in these low level no respect can not afford a roof over your head jobs. I respect anyone who gets out of bed and works their but off they deserve a living wage, but is this increase really going to help a cashier who is a single mother or is it just going to help keep them afloat in an economic climate of rising costs.

And Janice brought up the point about higher wages going toward taxes, but with prices increasing already and the potential for layoffs won't we have to increase the monetary amount for people already on food stamps, and actually add people to the welfare roles increasing the cycal of poverty?

[LAwxrgal]

I have close family members living on minimum wage, and believe me, it's not enough to take care of a family on, no matter how much (or how little) it is. Seems like the "minimum wage" was intended as a guide for employers.

[BUD]

Very good .I wounder what would happen to food stamps,ect.Well I know a few people who work min wage so they can get food stamps.ect.Shoot!!! they make more money a month than me and my wife with the state provided benefits.

[j]

I have close family members living on minimum wage, and believe me, it's not enough to take care of a family on, no matter how much (or how little) it is. Seems like the "minimum wage" was intended as a guide for employers.

I'll tell you who it is a "guide" for. The UNIONS! Unions base their pay scales on factors of the minimum wage. If the min. wage goes up, union workers will be getting a nice raise. That doesn't set well with me either.

[Stephanie]

I have close family members living on minimum wage, and believe me, it's not enough to take care of a family on, no matter how much (or how little) it is. Seems like the "minimum wage" was intended as a guide for employers.

Exactly.

Everything goes up in price for one reason or another, not just wages, and it rarely goes down substantially when that reason has "gone away". I can't imagine how people can make it at all on minimum wage. If anything, they live paycheck to paycheck, no savings, no IRA's or 401k's of any substance if at all for later in life.