Seattle approves $15 minimum wage

Seattle has passed their precious $15/hour minimum wage !!!

But the bad news is it really won't get there until the year 2021.

Just in time for inflation/cost of living to increase beyond that.

And for companies to design new robotic equipment too !!

Wonderful Wonderful.

The increase was formally proposed by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and his spokesman said he intends to sign the ordinance on Tuesday.

Washington already has the nation's highest state-level minimum wage, at $9.32. That rate also applies to the city.

The current federal minimum wage is $7.25, and Democrats in Congress have been pushing for a gradual increase to $10.10, but so far to little effect.

The increase to $15 in Seattle will take place over several years based on a scale that considers the size of and benefits offered by an employer. It will apply first to many large businesses in 2017 and then to all businesses by 2021.

Seattle approves $15 minimum wage

a reply to: xuenchen

I higher basic wage increases consumer spending, property price and living standards, if it does not go sour then that will become the mose sought after city to live in stateside so good on them,.
It will take a short time for the profit to wage ratio of the company's to rebalance but they will rebalance that I am certain of, it look's like at least on of your states cares about it's people so there is hope there for america's future as a nation is best measured in the eye's of it's own people and also it was the proper and christian thing to do.

originally posted by: LABTECH767
a reply to: xuenchen

I higher basic wage increases consumer spending, property price and living standards, if it does not go sour then that will become the mose sought after city to live in stateside so good on them,.
It will take a short time for the profit to wage ratio of the company's to rebalance but they will rebalance that I am certain of, it look's like at least on of your states cares about it's people so there is hope there for america's future as a nation is best measured in the eye's of it's own people and also it was the proper and christian thing to do.

Fools gold.........Ya ever wonder if it would just raise the standard across the board. I am willing to bet it would raise the cost of everything. But what do I know.



I do think anyone making under this mark is going to be screwed because of inflation in the next few years anyway. Look around the cost of everything is going up. You have to take out a 10 year car loan just to drive a new car.

a reply to: SubTruth

It does raise the cost of everything but that also drives a consumer boom, new job's and better living standards which is where government legislation has to come in to try to stabilize and maintain growth as sustainable level's,. Something that in a totally free and unregulated market will never work so Regulation is necessary and stuff the corporate lobby's as they are the sum total of evil and seek only short term gain.
Short term versus sustainability will never work and so far only one US president I know of ever tried to stop them but he was more frightened of the military industrial complex undermining democracy, still I am outside the US so perhaps some more american literate polical minded people will take over here.
The american's are good people and deserve better.

a reply to: xuenchen

But the bad news is it really won't get there until the year 2021.

Correction. That's the good news.

From another thread:

just my $0.2

Looks like inflation has already set in and caused the price of thoughts to go up.

originally posted by: LABTECH767
look's like at least on of your states cares about it's people so there is hope there for america's future as a nation is best measured in the eye's of it's own people and also it was the proper and christian thing to do.

Who set the bar at $15 an hour? That seems just too low. I think the Democrats aren't trying too seriously to improve the living standards of the working poor.

It should be $30-40 an hour. Minimum.

Think how great the economy would be if everyone was making a base salary of ~$60,000 ($30x40hrsx52wks) Obviously the Democrats just don't have the balls to stand up to bug business and that's why not a single left-leaning state has increased their minimum wage over ~$10 an hour.


...or maybe they just don't want to admit to the unskilled laborers that there is literally no feasible way to pay them such a hyper-inflated wage without also driving the final coffin nail in to American manufacturing.

a reply to: Lipton

It should be $30-40 an hour. Minimum.

Damned right. And those with seniority should maintain their wage differential over new hires so they get $35-$45.
And skilled workers..well hell, skilled workers should get $70-$80!

To avoid the obvious argumentum ad absurdum. Scale it back...you might get the point. (not you Lipton, I know you already do)

originally posted by: Lipton

Think how great the economy would be if everyone was making a base salary of ~$60,000 ($30x40hrsx52wks)

If American wealth was equalized, it would actually be something closer to $48k/ yr. newdemocracyworld.org...

Obviously the Democrats just don't have the balls to stand up to bug business and that's why not a single left-leaning state has increased their minimum wage over ~$10 an hour.

No. The reason this doesn't happen is because the America-loving right won't allow our country to be turned into Nazi Germany or some other socialist country. Thank God for that.


Lucky for them, the America-hating left are trying to bypass the checks and balances as much as possible so that they can have

a single charismatic leader as the ultimate authority.

Excerpt from the definition of totalitarianism.

a reply to: smithjustinb
Nazis weren't actually socialist (in spite of the name) but I get the sentiment.

actually, this might be the shock value to force big business to accept that everything increases in price except labor........The average salary has not really increased in decades, 40-60k per year.....Corporations have blamed everything from the cost of taxation to fuel prices to wars for increasing their costs, but little has changed with how much the actual employee makes over the decades.......That employee makes the same they did ten years ago, but the costs of living have effectively doubled......That employee is the average consumer these companies rely on to buy their products and services............My point, these companies and governments have strapped the low to average employee for so many years that they are used to being frugal.......if you take an employee and give them an additional couple hundred bucks a pay period in their pocket, they are not going to accept a company that skyrockets the price of their products for that same reason.....they will continue to shop seeking a bargain......Companies will be forced to start bringing down their insane profit margins to a reasonable return....yes, prices will go up, but they will still remain competitive...because remember, those companies already paying a fair wage and charging a fair price WILL NOT raise their prices........again, those companies that are paying a fair wage and charging a fair price WILL NOT raise their prices.......and they will be the ones that those with new found funds shop at due to their prices being the most reasonable.......Free Market......such a pain.

a reply to: pointr97

Companies will be forced to start bringing down their insane profit margins to a reasonable return.

What do you consider an insane profit margin?
What do you think the profit margin on a hamburger is?

And, just to be sure we're talking the same language...what do you mean by profit margin?

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: smithjustinb
Nazis weren't actually socialist (in spite of the name) but I get the sentiment.

I made sure to look it up before I posted that. I did a quick skim through Wikipedia and saw

At a later time, Hitler said: "Socialism!

and so I ran with it.


I guess I overlooked this:

He clearly believed that the lack of a precise economic programme was one of the Nazi Party's strengths, saying: "The basic feature of our economic theory is that we have no theory at all."[19] While not espousing a specific economic philosophy, Hitler employed anti-semitic themes to attack economic systems in other countries, associating ethnic Jews with both communism ("Jewish Bolsheviks") and capitalism, both of which he opposed.[20][21] Hitler also believed that individuals within a nation battled with each other for survival, and that such ruthless competition was good for the health of the nation, because it promoted "superior individuals" to higher positions in society

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: pointr97

Companies will be forced to start bringing down their insane profit margins to a reasonable return.

What do you consider an insane profit margin?
What do you think the profit margin on a hamburger is?

And, just to be sure we're talking the same language...what do you mean by profit margin?

Profit margin defined as the gross costs of the company to the gross sales.........give me a few and i will come back with some numbers

a reply to: smithjustinb
Yeah. Power to the people. Sure.

What do you think the profit margin on a hamburger is?

wait.....Phage, do you think that a company does not make a profit off a hamburger?

a reply to: pointr97

Would be silly to run a business if they didn't.
The question was how much. But I see that we are talking the same language re: margin.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: pointr97

Would be silly to run a business if they didn't.
The question was how much. But I see that we are talking the same language re: margin.

outstanding...sorry, thought i misunderstood.....and the browser was not editing properly, looked stupid.

a reply to: pointr97
Here's McDonald's (Corp.) P&L. Being publicly held, they need to report this stuff.

www.marketwatch.com...

Gross (excluding D&A because those just go to the balance sheet): 12.49B
Pretax Net: 6.61B
Posttax Net: 4.00B

Pretax margin: 5.3%
Posttax margin: 3.2%

25 cents on a Big Mac combo.

Insane?
Do you think the franchisees (who actually determine payroll rates) do a lot better?

McDonalds
Annual Data | Quarterly Data

McDonald's Corp., profitability ratios


Dec 31, 2013 Dec 31, 2012 Dec 31, 2011 Dec 31, 2010 Dec 31, 2009
Return on Sales
Gross profit margin 38.79% 39.24% 39.57% 40.03% 38.65%

Last one I found on Burger King for
Data for this Date Range
March 31, 2014 78.04%
Dec. 31, 2013 78.66%
Sept. 30, 2013 76.95%
June 30, 2013 70.07%
March 31, 2013 55.94%
Dec. 31, 2012 53.94%
Sept. 30, 2012 44.26%
Burger King

Burger King seems to be doing well.....but it is really not in question that companies are making a considerable profit off the employee, the tax payer, and government subsidies(oh wait....that is also the tax payer)