Businesses Raising Their Minimum Wages
 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/business/ikea-plans-to-increase-minimum-hourly-pay.html

Ikea said that its new average minimum wage, $10.76 an hour, was $3.51 above the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
. . .
Gap Inc. informed its employees in February that it would set $9 as the minimum hourly rate for its United States work force this year and then establish a minimum of $10 next year.

How will they keep the prices on Ektorps and meatballs down . . . umm, hopefully equines are not involved in the manufacture of either. :D

That's who should decide on wages -- the businesses.

Really? Pay 14 year old irresponsible kids $10.76 an hour?

Now that the economy is improving they have to spend more to get help.

^^^^ Tah-dah!

They'll probably get more responsible kids at $10.76/hr. The irresponsible ones will get their $7.35/hr somewhere else.

Good for them!

If thats what that PRIVATE business chooses to do, its THEIR decision to make.

Who says you have to hire them?

Many employers of small businesses don't know how to screen or interview.
That's their fault, it's called running a business WISELY.

Example: a cafe owner here was told he would get more business with an outside terrace area.
He put one up at great expense on the side of the restaurant that's next to a giant dumpster, with traffic and pollution roaring around from 6 am to 10 pm.

Who's gonna sit there?

Why spend the money? Who made that choice? The not-so-smart cafe owner!

He has no reason to complain, he sould fire himself and get professional management assistance.

If the means are there to pay a livable wage. Why not?

Walmart type enterprises disturb me with profits as high as they have been but neglect to really consider their employees needs. There is no doubt in my mind that many north American firms could easily afford to pay better.

Once greed sets in there seem no limits. Many highly profitable enterprises are way understaffed as well on purpose.

If an enterprise is in a struggling mode is another circumstance that may hinder livable wages. Too many corporations are well beyond that point yet still pay as little as they can. If there were not minumin wages they would pay even much less in my opinion. To increase their profits of course.

The WalMart business model, being adopted by many corporations, is to not have a large long term employee base with their related costs. In addition to retail, it's also happening in professional fields like IT, healthcare, insurance, banking, etc. Experience is being substituted and replaced by software and "smart system" that are basically management nannies for the replaceable employees.

Wall-Mart just wants the taxpayers to make up the difference. SNAP, Utility subsidies and Section 8.

Unethical as they have been rolling in money. I have no doubt that you are right though. Wall mart entered Canada some years ago and most of us do not like them.

Highest markup they can squeeze out of generally inferior quality Chinese products they pay little for. Part of this overall picture is some products from our educational system are only fit at best to work in places like theirs. Our local store is in the conversion stages of enlarging their food items to a grocery store right now.

Most locals have stopped buying as much as they were there at one time. For example you can buy tires now from many tire stores as cheap as the low line Chinese tires they sell. Or on average their laptops are more than the same ones are from many other outlets.

This leaves them with the customers that think buying there has to be cheap and are too lazy to check. Unfortunatly for them in this economy the numbers locally are dwindling. I do not think their grocery operation addition is going to do all that well here either.

It's a natural reaction to increasing burdens placed on employers -- cut the bennies, cut the workforce. Next step is move overseas and sell to America.

A few years ago (3-4), the water-parks in Wisconsin Dells (and all the other service-related outfits) were wanting for employees.

How'd they fill the spots?

They were offering $10-$13/hr. PLUS housing.

Sometimes the market has to pay to play...

Boobermint interference?

They don't have a clue, never will and shouldn't BE TELLING ANYONE how to do anything.

'Nuff said...