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Is it time to revisit the minimum wage?
(continued)
minimum wage increase:
jobs and hope lost
for young workers
anthony anton, president and ceo,
washington restaurant association
don’t starve the economic engine of its gas
rep. mike sells, d-everett
certainly not providing a wage high enough to support a family. And,
the reason we are seeing an adjustment upwards in the minimum
wage this year is because the cost of living increased significantly,
driven by higher costs in food, gas, and other essentials.
the will of the people
When I hear talk of “revisiting the minimum wage,” or, to put another way, “going against the will of the people,” it usually involves the
idea of a training wage for entry-level employees. The training wage
concept won’t do anything for our economy. What it will do is slow
our economic recovery by further reducing buying power. Nor, will
lowering it for a separate training wage help in competing for good
employees. It may, in fact, push greater employee turnover, costing
more in the long run.
We cannot rid our country of its economic problems by reducing
buying power among those at the bottom of the income scale. In fact,
we’ll only further strain our society’s safety net by relying on it to
support those struggling to put food on the table.
18 association of washington business
In spite of all the changes listed above, labor
costs in Washington restaurants are the highest
in the country at more than 36 percent of your
restaurant dollar (the national average is a little
less than 33 percent). With another 30 percent
going toward food costs and an additional 30
percent being designated to pay for utilities, rent
and incidental expenses, there is very little left
at the end of the day. I have heard repeatedly
from hundreds of operators that the industry is
“just no fun anymore,” and “why am I working
80 hours a week and three jobs within my business for so little at the end of day?”
Forty-four other states provide reasonable
exceptions to their minimum wage, including the recognition of tipped income and the
allowance of a teen wage. If you hear the
Washington Restaurant Association talk about
these issues in Olympia, please understand
that it’s about more than just a couple dimes. It
could be a serious lifeline to small businesses
and their employees.