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Except it's already like that. If we don't pay workers a living wage they have to use our social safety net programs, such as food stamps. Those programs are fu

Except it's already like that. If we don't pay workers a living wage they have to use our social safety net programs, such as food stamps. Those programs are funded by the tax payer. So basically the tax payers are already subsidizing companies like Walmart so they don't have to pay a full living wage to their employees. If those companies paid them a full wage the taxpayers would pay less for social welfare programs. I'm also not that sympathetic to the plight of companies like McDonald's when it is earning in excess of $4B in profit in a year. Obviously, what counts as a fair wage will depend on the local cost of living.

exclusiv 9y ago
That's a good insight. I agree with that point and think every city should propose laws that support a living wage. We just need to understand what that living wage should be in any given city and consider a variety of factors, some short term and some long term. > If those companies paid them a full wage the taxpayers would pay less for social welfare programs. Maybe. That assumes the poverty line stays the same and nothing happens with the price of other goods those minimum wage earners need to buy. It also assumes there's no impact on 1) number of jobs and 2) number of hours and thus total income as the UW study discusses. As long as part time employee is allowed you cannot guarantee an income for any given job. So a min. hourly wage doesn't definitively solve the problem of mandating a fair wage as we are discussing. > I'm also not that sympathetic to the plight of companies like McDonald's when it is earning in excess of $4B in profit in a year. Me either. But McDonalds has already shown a long time ago that they can eliminate min. wage jobs and/or hours by getting consumers to throw away their trash and fill up their own drinks. This is part of the consideration #1 I mentioned.

exclusiv 9y ago

That's a good insight. I agree with that point and think every city should propose laws that support a living wage. We just need to understand what that living wage should be in any given city and consider a variety of factors, some short term and some long term. > If those companies paid them a full wage the taxpayers would pay less for social welfare programs. Maybe. That assumes the poverty line stays the same and nothing happens with the price of other goods those minimum wage earners need to buy. It also assumes there's no impact on 1) number of jobs and 2) number of hours and thus total income as the UW study discusses. As long as part time employee is allowed you cannot guarantee an income for any given job. So a min. hourly wage doesn't definitively solve the problem of mandating a fair wage as we are discussing. > I'm also not that sympathetic to the plight of companies like McDonald's when it is earning in excess of $4B in profit in a year. Me either. But McDonalds has already shown a long time ago that they can eliminate min. wage jobs and/or hours by getting consumers to throw away their trash and fill up their own drinks. This is part of the consideration #1 I mentioned.