comment: >
  
  Anyone who lives in Washington knows that $15.74 is still comically low for the cost of living here. My rent just went up $300 a month for no reason, still outpacing the snail’s pace of wages unless you happen to work in tech. It’s sink or swim.
context: Wow. It only took 30 years of exponential ceo wage growth. >
  
  Finally getting some of that sweet sweet trickle down....mmm mmm >
  
  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? >
  
  
  
  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 :). >
  
  Minimum wage still below poverty line practically everywhere >
  
  Just so people understand this. Housing should realistically be about 30% of your income. In Massachusetts any apartment near the eastern half of the state is upwards of 1400-1600 four. Studio. Just five years ago it was 900. You do the math on that for what you would have to make for that to be withon reason. >
  
  Is there an expectation anywhere in the world that someone can live alone on minimum wage? >
  
  Even living with a partner, $1600 rent is barely affordable at $15/hr full time. If they have a kid, forget it. >
  
  See I don’t understand how my coworker has 5 kids on the same money I make >
  
  Landlords and building managers can't wait for lease renewal time! >
  
  This person gets it.
  Wage growth means little if you don't have cost of living control.
  A CEO making millions can afford his NY apartment going up a thousand. A poor renter can't handle a hundred dollar increase. >
  
  I'll tell you right now without even looking: this minimum wage hike is too little too late, as it always is. >
  
  This lady at my office was ranting about how people wanted $15 an hour and now that they’re finally offering it they should be grateful. She doesn’t understand what inflation is and that $15 was ok a decade ago. >
  
  People still think they should get skilled labor for $20/hr, too.
  I'm not even 30 yet, and basics have over doubled in price since I was a teenager. >
  
  No skilled worker in the US should even be getting out of bed for less than $30/hr in 2022. Doesn't matter what trade or industry. That is roughly $60k a year. Not a crazy price to pay for professional labor. And if you can't pay it then your company doesn't deserve to be in business. >
  
  What is skilled labor exactly (aside from the more obvious trades)? Do certifications count? >
  
  Washington, at $15.74, will have the highest minimum wage not just in the US, but in all of North America. The highest one in Canada is Nunavut, at C$16 ($11.80), and of the 10 provinces the highest is BC at C$15.65 ($11.54). >
  
  This new increase raised our state salaried minimum to just over $65k as well. I still have complaints about the state from time to time but man I’m glad I live in Washington. >
  
  Not sure why you got downvoted, but it is true.
  I’m in a position where I’m a tech worker, but the company is trying to avoid the minimum white collar increase, even though we’re in software services.
  I have a feeling a lot of people are going to start filing L&I claims once the wages aren’t increased. >
  
  My wife’s old company pulled the same shit last time to avoid the increase, they ended up losing half their staff before begging people to come back at a higher salary. >
  
  I'm hoping it won't go that far, but I've started to update my resume just in case they pull something stupid. I plan on staying if they're going to pay me and I definitely want to stay around until I get my bonus.
  The next few months are going to be pretty interesting in the job market, that's for sure. >
  
  And the federal government insists $7.25 is enough for us. >
  
  And I bet Alabama ain't one. >
  
  Correct, it is most certainly not. For context on how "limited-government" Alabama truly is for non-Alabamians in this thread:
  Birmingham tried to pass our own minimum wage here back in 2016 for a city-wide min of $10.10, and then the state Atty General - Steve Marshall - filed an injunction 2 days after the proposal to freeze it while the state legislature scrambled to get a bill passed (Uniform Minimum Wage and Right-to-Work Act, cited below) barring cities from enacting their own minimum wage increases greater than the federal minimum wage.
  
  A county, municipality, or any other political subdivision of this state shall not enact or administer any ordinance, policy, rule, or other mandate requiring an employer to provide any employee, class of employees, or independent contractor with any [...] wage that is not required by state or federal law
  
  AL Code § 25-7-41, subsection 9b >
  
  Tennessee says "haha fuck off and die, you gross poors"
  $7.25/hr wasn't liveable 25 years ago, especially in this regressive hellhole with only a sales tax, at 10%, just to make sure that we screw over the poor people as much as humanly possible while not taxing the income of the rich people. >
  
  Wow it's about to go from unlivable to...unlivable? Wow! >
  
  Maybe because working for McDonald’s doesn’t contribute to society in a meaningful way… plenty of immigrants would love those “unlivable” wages… The same people calling their wages “unlivable” probably have an iphone, a car, and a flatsceen Tv… You’re not entitled to anything more when you didn’t put any effort into your life to merit a half decent job >
  
  Why bother having a federal minimum wage if it pays below the poverty line anyway? >
  
  Because companies would pay employees even less given the opportunity.
  Right now the labor market is constrained, raising wages, but that might not always be the case especially in an economic depression with a high unemployment rate where workers are desperate for any work, even jobs that pay $3 an hour. >
  
  Back in 1993 when minimum wage was $4.25 and I was making $5.25 as a small store GM, the owner straight told me that he would pay his employees $2 an hour if he could because that's what they're worth. I felt angry and insulted for them because I knew that most of them busted their asses at a part-time job with no benefits.
  I may be a moderate conservative, but that has stuck with me for a long time. I've been in favor of raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation for nearly 30 years. Paying poverty wages is unacceptable. >
  
  
  I may be a moderate conservative, but that has stuck with me for a long time.
  
  How can you reconcile your political views with your life experiences of being told straight to your face that your boss would exploit you further if he could get away with it? >
  
  For real, what a sucker. Being told by your boss that you are subhuman, and then getting in line and supporting those people.
  What a joke >
  
  This is actually a real life example of what Karl Marx calls, false consciousness
  
  a term describing the ways in which material, ideological, and institutional processes are said to mislead members of the proletariat and other class actors within capitalist societies, concealing the exploitation intrinsic to the social relations between classes. 
  
  It's one thing to read it, but it's kinda surreal to see it happening right before your eyes. >
  
  Interesting, I'll look into this more. It's good to have a term to describe this phenomenon, thanks >
  
  And still! Factoring in inflation, minimum wage is the lowest it’s been since the 50s! >
  
  tbh, this is probably just gonna be the big companies' excuse to say your minimum wage is 1% higher so we'll raise the prices by 25%! >
  
  Worker rights in this country are just beyond awful.  Unlivable wages for a lot, no PTO minimums so of course every starter salary includes 0 lol.
  I just got picked up for jury duty, and cannot BELIEVE that there is no federal requirement for employers to continue to pay their people during jury duty.  It's a basic civic duty!  =\    (some states do)
  I feel bad for the people living paycheck to paycheck. >
  
  You know that you can just say you know about jury nullification in order to get out of it yeah? Jury duty is a joke. >
  
  That's not a rise, that's an inflation adjustment >
  
  The pay increase isn’t even going to cover my rent increase, let alone the rising cost of just being alive.. >
  
  The absolute insanity of it is that $15 is not a livable wage either. >
  
  Something something burger expensive >
  
  Can they work on the server minimum wage while they are at it? It’s not fair that greedy restaurant owners get away with paying their employees 2.85 while everyone else has to follow a minimum wage standard. I don’t even care if my tips go down a little. I’m sick of owners getting away with exploiting my hard work, and their guests charity. >
  
  Meanwhile texas is doubling down on its “fuck the poors and immigrants” stance… >
  
  Ohio is also an "at will" state which means they can fire you for any reason they want. The issue is you can collect unemployment if they fire you, so (this happened to me personally) they just cut your hours down so low that you have no choice but to quit. >
  
  FYI - in Ohio, if your hours are cut by more than 50% you can claim unemployment. >
  
  That was over a decade ago haha I wish I knew the law back then! >
  
  Oh no my hamberder is gonna cost 5000000000000 dollars now my freedum!!! >
  
  In Washington state, this means many people are about to lose FTE Salary status. >
  
  Why can't it just be on a federal level?? Color me shocked from seeing that Georgia isn't even bothered to increase minimum wage. 😒 >
  
  Should be $25, not $15. >
  
  Indiana again going "ya'll can survive on 7.25 an hour!  our parents did it! >
  
  "Fight for 15" started TEN YEARS AGO.
  Adjusted for inflation it should be "Fight for 19.25"
  And most of the raises in this article aren't coming close to that. >
  
  So basically you still can’t eat even at the highest minimum wage in the country, got it… >
  
  The minimum wage debate of $15 an hour has been going on for so long that the actual minimum wage now is the mid to upper $20's an hour >
  
  And Republicans are somehow furious. >
  
  Well ya, they actually have to pay people to work in stead of just whipping them until moral improves. >
  
  What a joke ! Who can live on $10 or $15.00 an hour ? Perhaps the government officials should try and live on this amount of money for 6 months . Lets see how they survive ! >
  
  7.25 in oklahoma LMAO im actually moving to a 12.00 area in JAN. Lol >
  
  I’m sure the prices of consumer goods won’t rise to compensate for these higher wages /s >
  
  COST of LIVING will soon rise in 23 states and 41 cities >
  
  Here I am in Oklahoma with it still being $7.25 >
  
  I came here to see people pretend they are economists.  Was not disappointed. >
  
  Growing up in California, I used to get 6.75/hr. This seems huge, buuuuuut having g kids, bills etc. This is nowhere near an acceptable wage. >
  
  Sounds like not having children until you had a better job or career would have been helpful. >
  
  The US needs children for its future. No kids, no future. Unless you plan to outsource child bearing to other nations. 
  If your job doesn't pay enough to raise family, its the fault of the employer not paying a living wage. 
  Children are not luxury goods, out nation need children to grow. >
  
  You missed my point. Sounds like he wasn't ready to have children when he did. Birth control is literally everywhere. Every gas station sells condoms. Every dollar store. Every drug store. It's very effective. Use it.
  If someone is unhappy with their compensation, they should ask for a raise or change jobs. No one should expect an entry level position, such as at McDonalds or Starbucks, to pay a salary that would support a family, two vehicles and a mortgage. >
  
  You don't get it. 
  McDonald's and Starbucks remain entry level jobs no matter your age, education level or if you're a parent. You should not expect to make $20 an hour as a barista even if you are a 30 year old parent of two with an MBA. You should seek better employment. 
  Emergency contraception should rarely be necessary as it's no secret how children are made. Again, contraceptives are everywhere and are cheap and highly effective. Abortion is now a state issue as it should be.
  It sounds like people should be much smarter with planning thier families. It's really not that complicated. >
  
  How many Starbucks employees have MBA's? 
  If the cost of living is 20$, why shouldn't employees get paid a living wage? If Americans are not paid enough then they will need social services, Walmart and McDonalds employees depend on government subsidies because they are not paid a living wage. 
  45% of all pregnancies are unplanned clearly Americans are not using birth control or not using it correctly. >
  
  Sadly, not Texas.   The rate there is $7.25 and has not been raised since 2008.   That may be why some corporations are moving there - cheap labor.   :-( >
  
  $2.17 an hour in Tennessee as a server >
  
  I wish every state went to a straight minimum wage for the service industry; like here $15 + tips would be amazing. But I also doubt you'd be working as a server if you weren't making above the straight minimum wage regardless (with $2.17hr + tips). >
  
  I see the red states are still hating the poor. >
  
  Well this will be great for inflation🤦‍♂️ >
  
  Minimum wage is rising to $15 and yet we've been fighting for this for so long that the minimum livable wage is $24 now. >
  
  Good to see this happen for the workers there, they need it.