If you raise minimum wage to $15 per hour, what happens to those already at $15 per hour?

[marigolds6]

Originally Posted by ted08721

This story, which originally ran in the Puget Sound Business Journal, titled: “Apocalypse Not: $15 and the cuts that never came.” Tom Douglas, a small business owner who feared that he would be negatively affected, and that a lion share of restaurants would have to close, is profiled now that the hike has had time to settle. “I don’t know that [a $15 minimum wage] would put us out of business, but I would say we lose maybe a quarter of the restaurants downtown.” His fears have no grounding in reality, as the article points out.

The Numbers Are In: After $15 Minimum Wage, Seattle’s Restaurants Are BOOMING |

I don't get the part of the story where it talks about permits as proof of restaurant openings?
It says there were 5,415 permits issued in 2013, 5,458 issued last year, and 5,227 this year, so therefore business is booming?
I don't think they realize that every restaurant needs to get a permit, not just new ones. Perhaps they are thinking it is only October, so another 1,000 permits will be issued? But, like most counties, King County sets a deadline early in the year (April 1) for permit renewals, creating a huge rush of permits in those months and a slow trickle afterwards. For example, the food inspection list posted online by King County (data.kingcounty.gov) shows not a single new permit inspection in Seattle for October.

(This also means that any restaurants that did close had their permit for the year before the minimum wage ordinance was passed. So next year's permit renewals will be a far better indication than this year's renewals. Restaurants who close during the year are likely not subtracted from the permit totals. But restaurants that are _sold_ have to get a new permit issued, so a sold restaurant would actually inflate the total.)

[Quick Enough]

Originally Posted by ndcairngorm

Not sure why this suddenly became a political issue when the OP wanted information, not a rant.

Every small business will handle the required increase in its own way. Unless it is written into the bill, no one now making over the current minimum will be addressed in the bill. If those people now making $15 feel they need an increase because a new hiree gets the same, that's an issue to bring up with the boss, period.

Many don't realize that many union contract are tied to the minimum wage.

A raise in the minimum wage AUTOMATICALLY raise the wages of the union workers. Hence the "domono" affect.

[blue dog Democrat]

Originally Posted by lionking

??????

For example burger joint manager is at $15 or $17 per hour, now a new hired burger flipper will make the same?

There was an article in the business section of my daily paper that stated Walmart was facing that very same problem when they raised wages recently.

Every position higher wanted a wage to keep the same gap between them and the ones with new wage increases.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Quick Enough

Many don't realize that many union contract are tied to the minimum wage. A raise in the minimum wage AUTOMATICALLY raise the wages of the union workers. Hence the "domono" affect.

Have you noticed that wages have been stagnant for a very long time?


By One Measure, Wages for Most U.S. Workers Peaked in 1972 - Real Time Economics - WSJ

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by blue dog Democrat

There was an article in the business section of my daily paper that stated Walmart was facing that very same problem when they raised wages recently.
Every position higher wanted a wage to keep the same gap between them and the ones with new wage increases.

Why would that surprise you and what's wrong with it? Every economist in the world understands a "ripple effect" from a minimum wage increase and that is actually a compelling argument for increasing the minimum wage because those 'next tier' employees are more often the ones who rely solely on their wages to support themselves and their families than are minimum wage workers.