Low-wage workers in Long Beach and San Jose turning to voters for pay raises (big house, unemployment rate)

[VLWH]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Raising the minimum wage isn't a solution to poverty any more than adding a 0 to all of your currency is.

If fast food places in LB or SJ raise their prices, people will go across the street where its cheaper. If they don't raise prices, they'll probably just find a way to make do with less workers.

Exactly. They'll just lay off a few workers and spread the workload to the rest of the staff.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by VLWH

Exactly. They'll just lay off a few workers and spread the workload to the rest of the staff.

I'm going to guess here that you don't have a business background. Here's how it works: if "they" (employers) could get by with fewer workers -- uh, they'd have fewer workers right now ... You know, to maximize profits. Employers don't simply carry more employees than necessary just to be nice ...

[ZhugeLiang]

"a $13-per-hour minimum wage for hundreds of Long Beach hotel workers"

Yeah, this sort of thing ought to help bring California's unemployment back down into single digits.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Not the same stuff, and Target isn't as grimy as WalMart.

I didn't even know how to respond to that. Wal-Mart, the place so many Americans love to shop, has driven down retail wages and since they like to get almost all their stuff from China, they helped kill American jobs too.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

You talkin' the store or its customers?

both

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by ZhugeLiang

"a $13-per-hour minimum wage for hundreds of Long Beach hotel workers"

Yeah, this sort of thing ought to help bring California's unemployment back down into single digits.

[Outdoorfanatic1]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

As unions fail in California a new tactic arises to increase wages and elevate workers: ask the voters to approve living-wage ballot measures:

Low-wage workers turning to voters for pay raises - Los Angeles Times

Now all the anti-union sentiment can refocus on being anti-voter ... ahem ...

Very interesting. I like others feel it's important to not pay a specific set of employees a higher wage but instead focus it on the minimum wage as a whole HOWEVER if it's embedded in the hotel taxes/surcharges I see where they are coming from.

I think the whole "it raises prices" scare tactic is so dated. It's important to pay people a "living wage" because that allows the invest BACK in the communities they live by purchasing a home, buying a car etc. etc....

You have to look at from the big picture not just the specific economic adjustment on a singular business level

Also the argument that someone would travel to a different fast food joint in a different city simply isn't realistic and not support by any research

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Outdoorfanatic1

Very interesting. I like others feel it's important to not pay a specific set of employees a higher wage but instead focus it on the minimum wage as a whole HOWEVER if it's embedded in the hotel taxes/surcharges I see where they are coming from.

I think the whole "it raises prices" scare tactic is so dated. It's important to pay people a "living wage" because that allows the invest BACK in the communities they live by purchasing a home, buying a car etc. etc....

You have to look at from the big picture not just the specific economic adjustment on a singular business level

Also the argument that someone would travel to a different fast food joint in a different city simply isn't realistic and not support by any research

*sigh* seems so simple but so elusive to so many.

[ZhugeLiang]

@Gentoo

Yeah, I also find that memegenerator provides more facts that actual labor data. Also, that doesn't quite scale the way you think it does.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by ZhugeLiang

@Gentoo

Yeah, I also find that memegenerator provides more facts that actual labor data. Also, that doesn't quite scale the way you think it does.

Ok, I'm listening