And They Said it Wouldn't Happen

[mkd]

Since gov't can bar you from gainful employment with minimum wage laws, what's really needed is for gov't to bar high prices too. That way living wages can be assured and evil capitalist pigs can't price gouge. It is only fair that you support you neighbors with compliance on this.
thank you.

[Del.]

When we go to Sams my wife uses her phone to scan items to avoid checkout.

[YoDoug]

MN has a 10.6 minimum wage. We can't even get people to apply for jobs if we don't advertise at least $15+. Even at 15 we get slim pickings. For shop help, saw operators, we have to advertise $18 to get people to apply.

[neurosis]

Wikipedia says that the law was passed in 2015 and raised incremently until 2021 at which point it matches the increase of the Consumper Price Index which would perpetuate the inflation (seems to me)

Small businesses (500 or less employees) caught a break and were able to phase the wage in over a longer period. I believe that 500 or more (think franchise) by 2017 unless they covered the employees insurance, which most don't. Regardless, most businesses started paying the $15 per hour much sooner and areas like SeaTac implemented the change quicker than Seattle. A lot of businesses didn't really have a choice but to increase their wages sooner because people were leaving to go to the places that were already increasing their wages. 

During that phase in, the price increases for fast food and dining out were minimal. They estimated the increase to be about 4% but that wasn't across the board. 4% increase of a $4 hamburger doesn't equal a $15 hamburger.

Grocery prices hardly went up at all during that time and I wouldn't have expected them to. Most grocery stores in the area were already paying their employees pretty well. 

Most of the complaints I saw came from bars who are notorious for paying their employees shit wages and having them rely on tip money to survive.

We didn't see heavy spikes in prices until the second year of Covid.  Forced lock downs causing supply chain issues, dumping billions of dollars in to people's pockets who didn't need it.  I mean, what has everyone been complaining about for the last two years? What caused the current massive inflation that we just experienced?

The wage increase has had several "unintended consequences", but that's a whole other story.  It turns out that when you pay people who don't want to work more money, rather than using the extra money for all of the shit they've been complaining about for the last decade, they just work less hours. 

[CNCAppsJames]

Abolish the minimum wage. Debate or ridicule away.

When you disincentivize moving up/moving on from those entry level jobs, you take away the incentive for people to actually give a shit and better themselves. Just like welfare. Minimum wage SHOULD be painful. Welfare SHOULD be painful. You should want to do ANYTHING that isn't illegal, immoral, or unethical to get out of that situation. But nooooooo........ we pay them WAY too much for WAY too little give a shit.

IDGAF about how inflation has outpaced minimum wage increases for for XX number of years. Tough shit! Don't like it? Work harder and move up. No jobs where you live? It's a big country. Learn a marketable skill and move up or move on. We should not have to pay more just because people refuse to do what they need to do.

[CNCAppsJames]

The conservative voices around the Seattle area lost their shit when they implemented the $15 minimum wage. They claimed that burgers were going to go from $5 to $12 (insert republican talking point here), but the fact was, the cost went up about .25 to .50 cents on average. Hardly the sky is falling scenario we were told was going to happen (not that there weren't other consequences). 

Um... I went to a Five-Guys in Fremont, Kommieforniastan a few weeks ago and a "Hot Dog, Small Fry and a Bottled Water" was a little over $15.

That same delicacy used to be between $8 and $9 before minimum wage climbed to $15.

Average Costco (that has always paid it's employees well) trip used to be around $400. Now it's pushing $650-$675. Don't tell me that's a "Rebublican talking point". It's Economics 101. Raise the cost everywhere in the supply chain and costs rise exponentially... just like we've seen.

[neurosis]

That same delicacy used to be between $8 and $9 before minimum wage climbed to $15.

Do you think that was limited to *only* places that the minimum wage rose to $15 per hour? I have family that lives in Burelson Texas where the minimum wage hasn't increased at all ($7.25 per hour) and they've seen the same price increases that I have here. A big mac in Burelson cost 30 cents less than it does in Seattle and the minimum wage is double in Seattle. 

[Incogneeto]

The conservative voices around the Seattle area lost their shit when they implemented the $15 minimum wage. They claimed that burgers were going to go from $5 to $12 (insert republican talking point here),

Ok I will. The fact that it was only instituted in the Seattle area. Did not have the full effect.

When it went NATIONWIDE yes it had an effect.

maybe the republicans warning, was because they knew if one foot gets in the door, you end up with the whole
millennial.

Kinda like moving back in with your parents. If you support my lazy ass why should I work?

For every action there is a reaction.

Stores are going employee free. and that funny scan stuff costs money too.

You should be proud that Seattle started the ball rolling.

[neurosis]

When it went NATIONWIDE yes it had an effect.

Nation wide?  Aren't there only like 4 States with over a $15 minimum wage?  Something like 20 States still follow the Federal minimum wage.   

Roll your eyes at that.     

[CNCAppsJames]

Do you think that was limited to *only* places that the minimum wage rose to $15 per hour? I have family that lives in Burelson Texas where the minimum wage hasn't increased at all ($7.25 per hour) and they've seen the same price increases that I have here. A big mac in Burelson cost 30 cents less than it does in Seattle and the minimum wage is double in Seattle.

That big of a percentage jump... yeah. I go all over the place. Big cities. Small towns, Rural areas and everything in between. The smallest increases I've seen; rural Utah. The biggest increases; Los Angeles, Portlandia, Seattle, and Bay Area NorCal.

[BrianP.]

Nation wide?  Aren't there only like 4 States with over a $15 minimum wage?  Something like 20 States still follow the Federal minimum wage.   

Roll your eyes at that.     

Many states have had to raise their minimum wage. When they see what Johnny has they want what Johnny has. Here is a list. Notice from 2019 to present and don't look at just the dollar amount but the percentage of increase.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_US_states_by_minimum_wage

You have to remember that it's not just the burger flipper that gets the raise. It's everyone who touches the product at any point. So the farmers labor cost goes up he passed it on. The trucking company labor goes up they pass it on. And so on and so on. Now maybe the large chains can spread the loss over a large area so the increase in prices is minimal but the little guy can't eat all those increases when his profit margin is not all that great to begin with. It really is a snowball effect. That's not saying that supply chain issues haven't contributed.

[Smit]

It's amazing how the right wing media diverts attention from the upper 10% of the earners getting 70%ish of the wealth and have people believing the problem is the people at the bottom of the earners are getting too much.

Fkn inexplicable. 

In the third quarter of 2022, 68 percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest 50 percent of earners only owned 3.3 percent of the total wealth.

[JParis]

You know smit, it's not a finite pie....

Seems that most of those whining people don't want to take a single lick of responsibilty for lifting themselves up...
It's always someone else's fault...

As long as it's always someone else's fault, they will always amount to nothing...

[BrianP.]

It's amazing how the right wing media diverts attention from the upper 10% of the earners getting 70%ish of the wealth and have people believing the problem is the people at the bottom of the earners are getting too much.

Fkn inexplicable. 

Wealth is not income.

[neurosis]

Many states have had to raise their minimum wage. When they see what Johnny has they want what Johnny has. Here is a list. Notice from 2019 to present and don't look at just the dollar amount but the percentage of increase.

Look at the chart on that wiki page. Prior to 2016 States were already consistently raising their minimum wages (Federal minimum wage increases).  Only half continued after the Federal minimum wage hit the wall in 2012. Even then, only a hand full rose to $15 per hour. That's hardly "nation wide".  In fact, half of the Country stagnated. Arguing that 4 States and DC raising their wage above the National average when more than 20 haven't raised their minim wage in over 10 years, and that is what caused the 25% price increases across the country doesn't make sense to me.  .

Chart for reference -