$15 minimum wage in KCMO? Are you serious? (rent, college)

[kcmo]

I don't know much about this idea, but it sounds like the city is serious about it. Raising the minimum wage that high in a lower cost of living city like KCMO that closely borders another state that won't have such a high min wage will completely slow or halt economic development in the city.

I really hope people are thinking this through.

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I don't know much about this idea, but it sounds like the city is serious about it. Raising the minimum wage that high in a lower cost of living city like KCMO that closely borders another state that won't have such a high min wage will completely slow or halt economic development in the city.

I really hope people are thinking this through.

I can see it making sense in a high COL city but in KCMO it could have pretty dramatic economic consequences.

[MLSFan]

it's being proposed in St Louis as well

[Truly Missouri]

$15 minimum wage is just too high. No, KCMO should not do this.

[MLSFan]

I don't think it should be that high... but I'm curious enough to see it tried too...

mostly because I can't see the prices going up that much at the stores I visit, but I want to see what it does to the low end employment. I don't see it helping them mostly because they tend to spend whatever they make so them making more doesn't mean they end up saving the difference, they just spend it and end up with just as little savings as before the wage hike.

would make housing more expensive though, not that I rent or anything :S

[zach_33]

All I can say is, I am glad my income exceeds $7.65 per hour. I made more than that when I was an unskilled laborer with no college degree 25 years ago - adjusted for inflation I probably made 3x-4x that amount, as a line cook with no experience at being a line cook.

I'd be especially concerned about a single parent who was forced to live in $306 per week pre-tax. Housing, child care, food, clothes, medicine - I don't know that I could make a good time of that with a dependent child and $306 per week. People deserve, in my opinion, a better chance at a "working poor" life with dignity.

[MLSFan]

I'd be especially concerned about a single parent who was forced to live in $306 per week pre-tax. Housing, child care, food, clothes, medicine - I don't know that I could make a good time of that with a dependent child and $306 per week. People deserve, in my opinion, a better chance at a "working poor" life with dignity.

yes, but they should go get jobs that pay more too :S it doesn't seem all that hard to get higher paying jobs... they just need to stop applying for the minimum wages. Even if the minimum wage goes up, if they stay at the same job, they will still be in the same position later in life since they haven't moved up...

[BioMechanical]

If the minimum wage goes up that much they will be lucky to still have a job because that will put a lot of owners right out of business.

[marcopolo]

Somebody must truly hate the lower-skilled workers to propose such a massive slaughter of jobs. Or they are incredibly, unbelievably ignorant.

Virtually everybody in the country making a "living wage" now started out on the bottom rung of the ladder, at minimum wage. This $15 an hour proposal will saw the bottom three rungs right off the ladder, entrench poverty more deeply, and further cement a permanent underclass in place. Oh, yes, and make liberals feel even smugger and feel even better about their noble selves and their supposed moral superiority.

If the consequences for the poor were not so dire, it would be hilarious.

[MLSFan]

Originally Posted by marcopolo

Somebody must truly hate the lower-skilled workers to propose such a massive slaughter of jobs. Or they are incredibly, unbelievably ignorant.

Virtually everybody in the country making a "living wage" now started out on the bottom rung of the ladder, at minimum wage. This $15 an hour proposal will saw the bottom three rungs right off the ladder, entrench poverty more deeply, and further cement a permanent underclass in place. Oh, yes, and make liberals feel even smugger and feel even better about their noble selves and their supposed moral superiority.

If the consequences for the poor were not so dire, it would be hilarious.

it's like a train wreck to me, I don't want it to happen but if it does, I can't turn off the news on it either

Plus I don't think they even realize that it wouldn't be all that helpful to the low wage people. They will still be at the same jobs so they aren't going to move up the social ladder. Sure not all low wage people stay there, but the ones that are moving up also don't plan to stay at the low jobs either so what they make for short term isn't their "plan".

Kind of wish instead of minimum wages, they would just institutionalize promotions like the army. Up or out. If they aren't motivated enough to move up they are kicked out, they don't get to stay in current job. (I think army works this way, none of my friends ever turned down a promotion but I don't know if they had a choice).