Minimum Standards

I am not, like Candy, a numbers geek, so I'll let the accountingweb.com article speak for itself, then toss in my $0.02.

The Minimum Wage & Social Security

I used to work for minimum wage. I remember how excited I and my fellow movie theatre concessionaires were when it went up from $3.35 to $3.80 an hour. We thought we were rolling in it. Of course, we were 16 and didn't have cars yet, so that probably was okay money in 1990 for someone with no expenses to speak of.

Today I went to look up what it went up to $3.80 from (I couldn't remember) and was horrified to see that the $0.45 an hour increase of 1990 was the first one in NINE years.

Before I started my own business I did a lot of job hunting and realized, even highly skilled, that the best I could do in the marketplace was $10-$12/hour. By the time you figure in the gas/lunch/daycare/wardrobe it just wasn't worth it to go to work for someone else.

Did you see that? I said $10-$12/hour WASN'T WORTH IT. Minimum wage is $5.15/hour. I simply cannot imagine supporting a family making that sad excuse for a wage. Maybe, barely, a young, single, 20-something person with a boxcar apartment willing to eat ramen a LOT could live on that, but, really, could anyone else?

I've spent a lot of years being on the unpopular side of this issue--My background is in the foodservice and hospitality industries and there are few things they fight harder against than having to pay the maids, janitors, busboys, dishwashers, and housemen more. Nothing made my bosses madder than to find out I support a dramatic minimum wage increase. While we're at it, health benefits for hospitality workers would be nice, too :-)

For more info on the restaurant and hospitality industry and minimum wage, check out:

Industry Speaks Out In Opposition to Minimum Wage Proposals

New Study Concludes Minimum Wage Hikes Do More Harm Than Good

Minimum Wage and the Consumer

Price Index - A Bad Combination for Businesses and Local Economies