[CLees]

In addition, since understaffing is already in full effect, paying the remaining employees more gives them more motivation to work their tails off and they will likely complain less. It also gives the owner the ability to be super selective about who he employs as more hard working, driven individuals will be interested in the jobs.

[Lalalally]

Originally Posted by nep321

Why are you saying that those jobs won't exist at $10.10 per hour? I already told you that minimum wage increases have no impact on the unemployment rate, as evidenced by numerous studies out there. Stop making up conclusions based on fear-inspired theories.

Anyway, I noticed that too. It seems like the cashiers just do all the bagging now, and there are very few baggers. Which proves my point even further.

There hasn't been a minimum wage increase in years, yet it seems like baggers are less and less in existence. Clearly, it's not because of a minimum wage increase. Perhaps, it's because of stagnant consumer spending. But if the consumers had MORE money to spend, the grocery store would earn more revenue, and then would be able to afford the minimum wage increase, and we could then have baggers working again.

My cause and effect pattern is more logical than anybody else's in this thread so far.

I'm being realistic about my kids' prospects for finding their first part-time job. That's all I'm talking about here, nep. I'm not commenting, spreading "fear based theories," or saying anything about full-time adult minimum wage workers.

And sadly nep, the baggers won't be coming back. When a job goes, it's gone for good..

[FutureTown]

I used to work in a grocery store, and I can assure you what nep says is correct. Unless your store is unusually busy and popular (like, the only Whole Foods in a 50 mile radius or something), baggers are slowly dying. And it really started when the recession kicked in. They increased the minimum wage a few times since then and across the state, all the decent volume receiving grocery stores I've stepped in seem to have a lack of baggers compared to a decade ago or something.

Anyways, I'm personally happy for CT. Knowing lots of people who did and personally working near the minimum wage, I can attest that this is some good news. There's nothing I despise more than the slave to the wage that is just so abundant in this country.

People really seem to forget what happens when the government doesn't intervene with companies. What do you think the 1930s was all about? Now, I'm not saying government can't do any wrong. I think our Constitution has quite a few flaws as is (or atleast the fact it is not followed upon properly), but I'm glad my life isn't in the hands of in a few (would be) trillion dollar companies whose only purpose is to expand that to quadrillion one day and get rid of their competitors unregulated.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by rubygreta

No, because nobody would work for $3.50.

Wow, if that were true, why did people fight and die to have a minimum wage to begin with? I love how all those with these arguments think it all just came out of some Marxist vacuum.....

While not completely, the employment game is mostly tilted in employers favor. If this is what employers are paying and people can't get jobs otherwise, most will take it and slave for 80-100 hours per week if its the only way to pay for food and shelter. Or, as someone else said, we'll have twice the welfare and food stamps we have now to cover the gap.

Yes, there is a point where the minimum wage is counterproductive, it's where it's set at a level where previously few people were working at that rate (or higher). $10 is nowhere near that. Someone pointed out that if pegged to inflation, it would be $22/hour today, OK well that's proof that people will work for lower amounts if allowed, since obviously if it were suddenly raised to that level businesses would react and respond and people do work for much less than $22/hour.

Just because India and China play the employment game as a 19th century "race to the bottom" doesn't mean we have to imitate them and go back in time.......

[RogerAnthony]

Originally Posted by CLees

Im with you on this. I was actually hoping the 10.10 was going into effect within the next year and yearly increases would follow. I truly believe that if people made enough to not pinch pennies all of the time then they would support smaller local businesses more. They would be able to afford better goods and services without government aid and/or walmart getting them by. Its unfair to say that a line cook who sweats his butt off, racing around on his feet for 8 to 9 hours without a break should only make 9 dollars an hour from the lazy owner who sits at the bar all night complaining about having to pay his employees more..

Lazy owner who sits around, really? At many small businesses the owner would be that line cook racing around and they would be making much less than $9 per hour because all the money they make has to go pay their employees wages. My town has many small businesses (mostly food establishments) and I know quite a few business owners who take no salary for themselves most months because all the profits have to go to pay their two or three employees. This will turn these businesses from a break-even situation to a loss.

[RogerAnthony]

Originally Posted by Lalalally

Lol! I did (many years ago of course). Part time job at C-Town when I was in H.S., and it was actually $3.35/hour, in NYC 1989. After posting here earlier, I went to one of those online inflation calculators -- the equivalent of my $3.35 h.s. minimum wage rate is $6.83 in 2014 dollars. I have a couple of years before my oldest can get working papers, but I'm losing hope fast that he'll ever find a job... And seriously, at 16 your first job is really about gaining a little experience, learning some responsibility, and having a little bit of your own money in your pocket. If I was a business owner, there's no way in hell I'd pay my kid that much for a part-time job. An exception for 16/17 year olds should have been considered.
I'll keep my opinions re: how I think this will affect everyone else to myself

You are correct. It took my now 17-year-old son months to find a job last year. When he did it was one where he makes $6 per hour off the books. That's pretty much the way it has to be done nowadays.

[Mr_250]

There are two sides to all coins. And I could not back down from a good ole' business debate.

I understand the need for a higher wage. But a couple items scare me.
1) My mom's an accountant and I was out to dinner with her when this topic arose. She works with ALL small businesses and after the news was passed a couple of them called her up just to ask questions. Many of them are in the same boat which is in order to maintain their bottom line they need to increase price-for-service. With the increase in price she is worried that they will loss business because the cost for the consumer will be too great for some.

2) I'm not a fan of how they spin it. The Govener said that by raising the min. wage the we will be getting people out of poverty. A person is considered "impoverished" if their INCOME AFTER TAXES is 125% or less than federal poverty level. So that means a family of 3 in CT will still be considered in poverty. https://www.jud.ct.gov/webforms/forms/cl067.pdf

That's all I'm going to say...

[markfromct]

This is a comment from economist Henry Hazlitt,

"You cannot make a man worth a given amount by making it illegal for anyone to offer him less. You merely deprive him of the right to earn the amount that his abilities and situation would permit him to earn, while you deprive the community even of the moderate services that he is capable of rendering. In brief, for a low wage you substitute unemployment. You do harm all around, with no comparable compensation."

[Lalalally]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

Someone pointed out that if pegged to inflation, it would be $22/hour today, OK well that's proof that people will work for lower amounts if allowed, since obviously if it were suddenly raised to that level businesses would react and respond and people do work for much less than $22/.

Just because someone here says it's so, it doesn't mean it's true. Inflation adjusted minimum wage rates never remotely approached this amount.

[WouldLoveTo]

Obviously I can't be 100% sure, but it seems some of you that support this measure have never owned or worked in a true family owned small business - at least not during your adult life when this would make sense to you.

While I'm all for more money in my pocket, whose pocket do you think it's actually coming OUT of? Some of you are acting as those funds are unlimited in the higher ranks and most times this is far from the case.

Like someone else mentioned, I know of and have worked for - even doing payroll and bills - for small business owners that rarely take a paycheck. They do this because overhead eats up much of their profits. A huge part of overhead is payroll. It's not just the hourly rate. The employer also pays 6.2% for Social Security, 1.45% for Medicare, .06% up to the first $7000 for federal unemployment and if they've ever had an ex-employee file unemployment, they may be paying upwards of 6.8% towards state unemployment (I think this is for the first 15K in wages but don't hold me to that one). Then add in any benefits the employees may be getting. So tell me how this business owner is going to be able to afford that increase? They afford it by cutting hours and doing more work themselves. Or closing up shop completely and working for someone else. I know many a person who has made more money doing this. At the expense of their happiness, yes, but happiness doesn't pay the bills.

In the case of the larger corporations that may be able to afford this, how many people are working at minimum wage anyway? And we all know how greedy they are. Many people are already being cut back in hours due to the new health care laws and this isn't going to help.

I have a PT job that pays $14/hr. With this increase going in affect for people making less than me, do you think my rate will increase as well? I think the minimum wage increase will freeze my own wage.