>

Minimum wage still below poverty line practically everywhere
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania continues to tell workers to go fuck themselves with a $7.25 minimum wage that hasn't changed in almost 20 years. >

How many places actually get away with it though? Most fast food chains I see in the Allentown area are at least 13-15. Warehouse is averagely 20, was about 16 before all this covid crap. I'll admit it would still be awesome if they'd actually stop ignoring that time has not stop and the world does keep spinning and money keeps inflating. >

That was my thought, federal can be whatever it wants but around my area I don't see anything below 14-15 from gas stations to fast food. >

I get what you're saying, but if the federal gets brought up to say $15, suddenly a lot of places are barely paying minimum wage and the incentive to work there goes down and they will need to increase. >

I'm not arguing but I am genuinely curious, has it been shown in the past with previous federal minimum wage increases that it lowers incentive to work? >

I'm not saying it lowers incentive to work, I'm saying that it lowers the incentive to stay at a place if the only reason for being there was that they paid more than minimum wage.
I should have been more clear in my original post. >

So workers have a better negotiating position and leverage that into raises. What's the problem? >

Wow. It only took 30 years of exponential ceo wage growth. >

New federal law for minimum wage: it must be be set a ratio of the highest payout of the company of the company.
So, for example of the CEO makes 1,000,000 per year, and the ratio is set to 1:30, then high school cashier needs to be paid 33,333 per year (which is about $16). Also adjusted for this employees entire package (like stocks and bonuses). Probably some loophole I'm not seeing, so plug that too.
Then just set another bare minimum limit to keep wages from falling too far at smaller companies so they don't end up being paid like 0.04 an hour. If the local mom and pop only makes 500,000 in sales a year, the owner is only gonna bring home, what, 100,000? After 1:30 it works out to like 1.06 an hour which is obviously too low. And automatically adjust this low end for inflation every year. Maybe say 10.
As a bonus make the low end also account for locality as another comment suggested so bum fuck Montana and Manhattan aren't the same minimum because cost of living ain't the same on both places.
This caps the low end at something liveable, but forces widely profitable and massive companies to actually pay the workers who made it happen a fair portion of that profit.
But that's just a dumb idea. Trickle down is clearly superior. Look at how successful it's made companies! >

Won’t matter much, companies will start to slash hours and blame inflation for low sales/business. They will always find a way to balance out your pay no matter how much of a “raise” you get. >

Nah. Many executives dont get rich from salaries. They get bonuses and equity. It's why several famous CEOs get paid a dollar a year. Options are great for tax purposes - so.... Leave it to rich people to find loopholes >



The minimum wage is increasing on New Year's Day in 41 cities — 28 of them in California — and 23 states. Later in 2023, another five states and 22 cities and counties will hike their baseline rate, according to the National Employment Law Project, a worker rights group.


The pay raises vary, with Michigan hiking its minimum wage by 23 cents to $10.10 an hour. Washington is on track to have the highest state minimum wage in the U.S. next year at $15.74 an hour, up $1.25 an hour from 2022.


Among the cities raising their wage floor are Flagstaff, Arizona, where the base hourly pay is rising to $16.80 in the new year, up $1.30 from 2022; and Cupertino, California, where the minimum is rising to $17.20 an hour — an increase of 80 cents. Minnesota's two largest cities are also enacting increases, with large employers set to pay a minimum of $15.19 an hour in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. 


"The raises we are seeing are a true testament to the power of organizing," Yannet Lathrop, senior researcher and policy analyst at NELP, said in a statement last week. "These raises were achieved in a variety of ways, from ballot initiatives to statehouses to workers making their demands to employers directly." 


The record number of pay hikes will benefit an estimated 8.4 million workers, according to an analysis from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.


Six states will have the lowest-paid making at least $15 an hour by the end of 2023. They include California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Washington, NELP reported


In 13 states, baseline hourly pay is rising to reflect inflation, according to EPI's tally. 


New Jersey's min was slated to rise to $14 from $13 at the start of the year, but as it is indexed to inflation, the base pay will rise to $14.13 instead, the state announced in Sept


The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour since July 2009. Since then, the nation's baseline pay has lost more than one-fourth its purchasing power. When factoring in inflation, today's minimum wage hasn't been worth this little since the 1950s, according to EPI. >


"The raises we are seeing are a true testament to the power of organizing," Yannet Lathrop, senior researcher and policy analyst at NELP, said in a statement last week. "These raises were achieved in a variety of ways, from ballot initiatives to statehouses to workers making their demands to employers directly."

true, but counterpoint:
"The raises we are seeing are a true testament to the failure of our federal government to meet its citizens' needs." >

If the feds want to do it they need to drop the current flat rate and do something indexed to the area. $15/h in nowhere Kansas is different than $15/h in the Bay Area. Seeing that the feds do index other things like that - e.g. bankruptcy limits IIRC - we know they have the capability.
Otherwise they will only be able to realistically (i.e. actually effect a change) set it based on that town in Kansas which won't even be sustenance level in much of the country.
Oh, and ditch that tipped min-wage nonsense. >


Oh, and ditch that tipped min-wage nonsense.

That would be the biggest thing, IMO. Fuck tippd wages. I'm from WA and live in CA. WA has had a real minimum wage for like 60 years. 
Fun fact: in 1909, WA made it illegal to tip. Repealed in 1913, but was still an indicator of WA's wage laws for the next hundred years. In 1966, WA abolished "tipped minimum wage" and just made straight wages the minimum. >

Just from a consumer PoV I dislike it. Puts me in the position that if I get real shit service it is still expected to tip something (ignoring the paltry "normal" min-wage for now).
Also I'm old and tips used to be seen as something extra. Now I'm surprised McGrease doesn't have a tip line on the receipt starting with a recommendation of 30%. Burned out by the whole practice so getting rid of the differing min-wage is step one to abolishing the practice. >

Unfortunately, the super wealthy  love  the tipping culture and more waiters I know love their tips and both groups are against getting rid of tipping. 
It's not going away any time soon. It's part of our culture now. >

Oh I know. But in states without a differing min-wage it seems to be less intense IMO. E.g. those suggestions they put at the bottom of a check are more reasonable. Granted, when I grew up (and worked for a bit in the industry) 10% was considered a good tip. It's just a first step, but won't change in my lifetime.
But just burned out on it. Easy solution for me; we just don't go out as often and when we do it is places we're regulars at.
I'll go chase kids off my lawn now :).