Monday, July 30, 2007
Boo Minimum Wage Increase, Yay Beer!
Today at work we got our new federal labor law poster showing the increases in federal minimum wage over the next 2 years. As of yet, it has not directly affected us. Oregon's minimum wage is $7.80. I say boo to the increase. (Mostly because I don't have a minimum wage job.) But here's why:
Companies will have to cut jobs to cope with the increase in pay for their employees. The increase will attract more skilled workers to minimum wage jobs, so that the poor unskilled folks (the ones who need the increase) won't get them. So you have more competition for fewer jobs.
If they don't cut jobs, they will have to raise the prices of their products to make up for the costs. Boo increase in prices.
More dumbasses are going to drop out of high school because they'll get $80 more ($2 increase times 40) each week. So we'll have more uneducated fools giving you your change, who wouldn't know how to make change if it wasn't for the cash register telling them how much they owe you.
The company I work for is going to have to increase wages (in our Idaho offices; currently starting at $8-$10) otherwise we are going to lose employees to less crappy jobs that used to pay almost $3 less ($5.15 in Idaho), but now will pay just enough to keep them from coming to us (every minimum wage quality nut in Pocatello would always come to us).
I think I've said this before, but the only people who will benefit from the increase to $7.25 by 2009 will be high school kids living with their parents, and the spouse looking to fill time while the kids are in school.
If you want to help poor people, adjust the income tax rates to favor the poor, and get rid of sales taxes (regressive taxes benefit the wealthy). And cut the tax on Busch Light. And GPC's.
Companies will have to cut jobs to cope with the increase in pay for their employees. The increase will attract more skilled workers to minimum wage jobs, so that the poor unskilled folks (the ones who need the increase) won't get them. So you have more competition for fewer jobs.
If they don't cut jobs, they will have to raise the prices of their products to make up for the costs. Boo increase in prices.
More dumbasses are going to drop out of high school because they'll get $80 more ($2 increase times 40) each week. So we'll have more uneducated fools giving you your change, who wouldn't know how to make change if it wasn't for the cash register telling them how much they owe you.
The company I work for is going to have to increase wages (in our Idaho offices; currently starting at $8-$10) otherwise we are going to lose employees to less crappy jobs that used to pay almost $3 less ($5.15 in Idaho), but now will pay just enough to keep them from coming to us (every minimum wage quality nut in Pocatello would always come to us).
I think I've said this before, but the only people who will benefit from the increase to $7.25 by 2009 will be high school kids living with their parents, and the spouse looking to fill time while the kids are in school.
If you want to help poor people, adjust the income tax rates to favor the poor, and get rid of sales taxes (regressive taxes benefit the wealthy). And cut the tax on Busch Light. And GPC's.
