minimum wage vs economics

[Dustin07]

I'd love to hear thoughts for and against raising minimum wage. To be honest with you, I think I somewhat support it. Or at least, I don't have a problem with it. It's a bit scary, but I'm not sure why.

[Julie]

I think everyone deserves to make a liveable wage. My state increased the minimum wage in the last election, but even that I don't think is as high enough as it should be. People shouldn't have to work two and three jobs just to make ends meet. Paying people something they can live off also makes them care a little bit more about their jobs.

Many employers, if given the chance would pay their workers as little as possible. My parents own a business, and they have to hire people to work for them. They could offer a minimum wage job, but you know what you get with that? People who don't care that much about showing up on time (or at all), and people who don't put as much effort into their work. This can seriously effect the productivity of your biz. They pay much more than the minimum wage and because of that get much better workers, customers are pleased, and the business works out.

[Dustin07]

Many employers, if given the chance would pay their workers as little as possible. My parents own a business, and they have to hire people to work for them. They could offer a minimum wage job, but you know what you get with that? People who don't care that much about showing up on time (or at all), and people who don't put as much effort into their work. This can seriously effect the productivity of your biz. They pay much more than the minimum wage and because of that get much better workers, customers are pleased, and the business works out.

Doesn't that kind of support keeping the minimum wage low in order to be able to actually offer something more to those who truly deserve it? If minimum wage was raised to what your parents pay then it might be harder to retain good employees.

Part of me looks it at like this... the most recent try was to raise minimum wage about $2 over 2 years I believe. I take Pizza Hut as an example... Usually 3, possibly 4 minimum wage employees working at a time. the new cost would be an increase of $8/hr (plus a little for tax most likely). If they sold 20 pizzas in an hour they'd have to charge $.40/pizza more than they do now. Seems reasonable to me.

But that's just one scenario. There's far more to it than that.

[Brian]

I'm all for it since that means more money for me... but the government needs to do more than just raise it. Before I quit my assistant manager job I was having dinner with my district manager just discussing the business and the topic arose. He said that a minimum wage increase would mean the firing of one person per store location... we have 4 in and around the Boston area and will have 40 within 5 years. So yeah, increase the minimum wage, but do something to help the problems that arise thereafter.

[South]

Minimum wage increases are damaging on so many levels.

Obviously, someone working at minimum wage is most likely working at a very low skill level job. The higher they jack it up the more apt employers are to spend a little more and get better people. This leaves people with few skills and abilities out in the cold. No job. They can't even offer to work for less because it's illegal.

Minimum wage is supposed to be just that, an entry level wage. Those who prove themselves or increase their skills can then demand higher wages or offer themselves for better jobs. Any employer with any ammount of business sense will raise wages voluntarily for the employees he knows he can depend on for fear of losing them, then having to hire and train new people.

It puts undue strain on small employers causing them to have to scale back the number of people they can employ. Some people are making slightly higher wages at the cost of others having to lose jobs.

I know the idea of higher wages sounds kind, but in the end an employer has X ammount he can pay out in payroll. When minimum wage increases he can scale back employees or shut down.

[Lakeman]

In a capitalism there is no need for a minimum wage. The market will adjust so that everyone is paid fairly. The assumption here is that the powerful are not tilting the system unfairly in their favor through any number of injustices. If they are the solution is to make the injustices illegal rather than to weaken the capitalism.

When you raise the minimum wage those who worked just well enough to justify the previous wage will lose their jobs as they are now not worth the extra pay.

All the rhetoric about a family breadwinner not being able to support a family on present minimum wages is ludicrous as the vast majority of minimum wage earners are students just entering the job market. Another example may be a person who has just entered this country and also doesn't have the basic skills to be employed. This person's priority should be learning the skills not getting higher salary.

I used to be responsible to find jobs for people who were disabled. When working at their most productive some of these people were only capable of the most meager results. For example if a job was to put letters in an envelope they may have only been able to stuff fifteen envelopes in an eight hour period. Clearly they were not productive enough to earn minimum wage now or at a new level. Sub-minimum wages allowed them to have the pride of being employed while the public safety net (public aid, SSDI, etc.) allowed them to have their needs met.

When all is said and done if the gov wants to raise the wage its no skin off my back. But our time would be better spent if our politicians focused on the national interests rather than their own party interests.