Eight dollars for a beer is not hyperbole? Seriously? I'm not a drinker and don't go into bars, but eight bucks?
I am honestly torn on the whole minimum wage/living wage debate, since in my business one pays prevailing wage, which being a trade is more than double.
The last time this was the subject of debate I used an example of how raising of the minimum wage CAN hurt a small business (actually several iirc) For years waitresses and bartenders were allowed to be paid a base that was below minimum wage (In Los Angeles) because their tips assured them of an actual wage that was much more. The City Council in it's finite wisdom decided they all had to be paid minimum wage as a base. Some small places couldn't handle it and had to lay people off, which of course affected their business. Now you stated up there (somewhere) that if a business can't afford to pay minimum wage and stay in business they shouldn't (or something like that). Let's explore this a moment: Many small eating places (for example) are family owned and mostly operated. Very few of them make people rich. Most do pay the bills and allow for a comfortable life (or else they do go out of business) but the profit margins are slim. Say I make approx $800 a week from my little diner (roughly 40K a year.....for putting in 60+ hours a week, doing something I enjoy, and has been in the family for generations...that's not as unusual as it may sound) and the gov't tells me I have to now pay my employees an extra 2.50 an hour, it doesn't take very many to make say 100 hours a week (two full time one 1/2 time) to take me down to $550 a week clear. Trust me it's a whole lot of work, working in and running a business for those kind of wages. The interesting thing is that the employees were making almost $12 an hour with tips instead of the 7.50 (example) that was minimum wage, even tho their base was $5. So while the business owner has a number of options all of them (that I see) end up costing the employees in the long run.....which is generally what happens when the gov't tries to help ;)
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I am honestly torn on the whole minimum wage/living wage debate, since in my business one pays prevailing wage, which being a trade is more than double.
The last time this was the subject of debate I used an example of how raising of the minimum wage CAN hurt a small business (actually several iirc) For years waitresses and bartenders were allowed to be paid a base that was below minimum wage (In Los Angeles) because their tips assured them of an actual wage that was much more. The City Council in it's finite wisdom decided they all had to be paid minimum wage as a base. Some small places couldn't handle it and had to lay people off, which of course affected their business. Now you stated up there (somewhere) that if a business can't afford to pay minimum wage and stay in business they shouldn't (or something like that). Let's explore this a moment: Many small eating places (for example) are family owned and mostly operated. Very few of them make people rich. Most do pay the bills and allow for a comfortable life (or else they do go out of business) but the profit margins are slim. Say I make approx $800 a week from my little diner (roughly 40K a year.....for putting in 60+ hours a week, doing something I enjoy, and has been in the family for generations...that's not as unusual as it may sound) and the gov't tells me I have to now pay my employees an extra 2.50 an hour, it doesn't take very many to make say 100 hours a week (two full time one 1/2 time) to take me down to $550 a week clear. Trust me it's a whole lot of work, working in and running a business for those kind of wages. The interesting thing is that the employees were making almost $12 an hour with tips instead of the 7.50 (example) that was minimum wage, even tho their base was $5. So while the business owner has a number of options all of them (that I see) end up costing the employees in the long run.....which is generally what happens when the gov't tries to help ;)