Judge to rule on SeaTac minimum-wage law | Local News | The Seattle Times

The initiative raises the city’s hourly-wage floor for hospitality and transportation workers to $15 from the statewide standard of $9.32 on Jan. 1 and assures annual inflation adjustments.

Steve Coll: Raising the Minimum Wage : The New Yorker

According to a Gallup poll taken earlier this year, a majority of Republicans favor a minimum wage of nine dollars. That reflects a truth beyond ideology: life on fifteen thousand a year is barely plausible anymore, even in the low-cost rural areas of the Deep South and the Midwest.

. . .

For decades, business owners have resisted higher minimum wages by arguing that they destroy jobs, particularly for young people. At some theoretical level, high minimum wages will distort job creation, but the best empirical evidence from the past decade is aligned with common sense: a minimum wage drawn somewhat above the poverty line helps those who work full time to live decently, without having a significant impact on other job seekers or on total employment. (For example, a study of pairs of neighboring counties with differing minimum pay found that higher wages had no adverse effect on restaurant jobs.)

I actually support a higher min wage, but this is a horrible law...
(1) why discriminate against industries other than transport and hospitality? Is a plumber or electrician really worth less than a bus mechanic?
(2) forcing promotion of part-time workers to full-time before hiring more will actually reduce openings. Also, some people actually WANT to be part-time or 3/4 time especially if they have children to go home to.
(3) a 50% rise within a month is huge
(4) best to do this statewide rather than applying it to a specific small town containing an airport facility.

Misguided "liberal" fools.

Does this mean WallyWorld will be closing their Sea-Tac stores?

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1983 300SD - 305000
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SeaTac in this case doesn't mean Seattle and Tacoma. It means SeaTac, WA, which is a small city surrounding the Seattle airport itself -- not sure if it even contains a Mall*Wart.

Cost more to live than most jobs pay. This increase is still behind the curve. Depends on people who have other means of support, subsidy. Points out once again how "free market" is BS.

It's good in principle, but should be phased in gradually, plus it's discriminatory to include certain workers, but not others.

Do it for the children.

Forward.

This is response to Hatties post.

Maybe, but it also could be argued that industry would eliminate jobs whenever possible no matter what the pay is.

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..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Of course and that's been the case since the dawn of modern civilization. Even the Navy is doing it with their new class of aircraft carrier. Off the top of my head I think they eliminated 1,500 sailors.

The problem with rapid wage increases, IE 50% overnight like this is that it shocks the labor markets. All of a sudden you will have business's that are operating at a 1%-4% margin with $7.25 workers see that margin largely evaporate.

So they will have to adapt or die, ie raise prices as much as the markets will allow and invest in technology to cut costs. Front end employees will be reduced and back room employes might see themselves replaced with robots.

Lastly they will need to get more productivity out of what workers they have left. So what you will probably see in this cities case are the marginal employees getting pushed out, because $15 is enough to start to attract some competent people. The marginal people at $7.25 will probably find themselves unable to get employment.

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How many employees do you keep on the payroll for whom you have too little work?

True, but if you have more customers with more money to spend . . .

How many extra employees to you carry?

Bot, what are "extra employees"? Like "extras" in a film production? Extra, as in, excess?

If more people at the bottom of the pay scale have more income, aren't they the ones who tend to spend it on goods and commodities, which then generates profits for those that produce and distribute goods and commodities . . . which in some instances could result in hiring more folks to produce and distribute.

I've been busting my ass for a fair bit now- I have a college degree, considerable extra training, certifications- When is my pay going to nearly double?

There is no actual formula but as prices rise generally in hindsite wages have always tended to rise. If not in lockstep they still rose with time.

There could be a different scenario with time is also a possibility. Too few jobs and too many people could hold them down longer in this economy.