Seattle Announces $15 Minimum Wage, Highest In The U.S.

[MindMover]

Source: Think Progress

Seattle will raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour over the coming years under a deal brokered by Mayor Ed Murray and blessed by labor and business groups alike, city leaders announced Thursday afternoon.

The new pay floor will phase in at different speeds for businesses of different sizes, but all employers will have to meet the $15 minimum wage by the end of the decade. Businesses with more than 500 employees nationwide will have a three-year phase-in period, while smaller employers get five years to ratchet up their payscales.

After reaching $15 an hour, the city’s minimum wage will automatically climb by 2.4 percent each year regardless of the rate of inflation. Even among states with relatively strong minimum wage laws, automatic increases are uncommon. Thursday’s deal will make Seattle the national leader on municipal minimum wage laws. Washington currently has the highest pay floor of any state at $9.32 per hour.

The deal was a long time coming, with Murray first indicating he wanted to establish a $15 floor back in September during the mayoral campaign. Murray created the 24-member advisory group that crafted the compromise package back in December, and the group of local business owners, restaurateurs, and labor leaders has been grinding toward an agreement for the past four months.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/05/01/3433227/seattle-15-dollar-minimum-wage/

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Can somebody say FINALLY ....

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. What I especially like in that article

Approval from restaurant owners is especially noteworthy given the deal’s provisions for tipped workers. Tips can only be counted toward worker minimum pay for the next five years. After that, the separate minimum hourly pay rates for tipped and non-tipped workers will disappear, and all employees citywide will have to be paid $15 hourly or more.

which I know you didn't add to keep with fair use, but it's a major victory for people who've been screwed even more than most over the years.

[AtheistCrusader]

2. And that's in WA where the base rate for tipped workers is still the normal minimum wage.

In some states, it's like... $2.50

[obxhead]

8. In most states it's $2.13

Usually not enough to even cover the taxes, definitely not enough to cover the health insurance.

I hated having to mail in a payment to the insurance co every month because my hourly salary wouldn't cover it.

Couple that with most servers having to tip out the hostess/hosts, bus persons, and bartenders so the restaraunt can pay them a lower wage as well. Nothing quite like having a great night and watching 30% go to your coworkers.

[AtheistCrusader]

12. Yeah, it's miserable, I imagine.

I grew up in WA, so I never had any visibility into that.

I was fucking SHOCKED when I found out how the minimum wage worked nationwide. And outraged.

[cascadiance]

14. Politifact calls out the right wing BS that minimum wage loses jobs for tipped workers as CRAP!

Here in Oregon, we already have tipped workers now also getting minimum wage, and though the right tries to LIE with statistics, they poke holes in that logic and point out how tipped workers getting minimum wage has NO EFFECT on restaurants hiring workers and that Oregon's restaurant business is still growing with more employees even with this in effect!

Read more here!

http://www.politifact.com/oregon/statements/2013/apr/13/melvin-sickler/has-oregons-higher-minimum-wage-hurt-our-restauran/

One big reason that Kitzhaber won as governor in last election was because his Republican challenger had a big problem with paying tipped restaurant workers minimum wage. It is a WINNING issue and will be more so in the coming election. Stand up for your values Democrats! It will win and it will help the 99% recover from the right wing destruction of our economy!

Seattle, LISTEN to that new socialist on your city council that championed this effort and these values and those in your city that voted her in!

[geretogo]

3. This will act as a petri dish for the rest of America . After a year it will be interesting to look

at the unemployment rate and poverty figures .

[Joe Shlabotnik]

4. K&R n/t

[Johnyawl]

5. Reality check...

-This is only a proposal at this point.
-It comes from a non elected committee that was dominated by business interests.
-It still needs to be voted into law by the City Council.
-The City Council can change the proposal as they see fit
-15 NOW, the organization that started this movement will likely continue with their efforts to put their proposal on the ballot.

From the stand point of improving the conditions for minimum wage earners this proposal, while better then nothing, SUCKS. SEVEN YEARS to get to $15, no cost of living adjustments allowed.

15 NOW wants $15/hr NOW for big business, and a 3 year phase in for small business.

[MindMover]

6. It is a hell of a lot better than a sharp stick in the eye and ...

it is better than the feds 10.10 ....

[7962]

7. It says "less than 500 emp. have 5 yrs, over 500 have 3 yrs"

You're not going to get anyone to go from 9 to 15 instantly.

[nolabear]

9. And they left out the pony! Dammit!

C'mon.

I'm in Seattle. We have a Socialist council member, active discussions between businesses and city gov't. on this, and the stated intention to make it so. It's been in the works for some time. Discounting the concerns of business owners won't get anything done. Compromise that gets people moving in the same direction get things done.

Show me someone in the US that's doing better.

[marions ghost]

16. In light of this

How do you account for this protest, reported today?

Seattle police recovered a gun and made several arrests during marches in Seattle Thursday evening. SPD first used pepper spray around 8:40 p.m. at 6th Avenue and Battery Street to disperse the crowd. At 9 p.m. they stated they had made three arrests, although they appeared to take several more into custody.

Hundreds of people marched wearing masks, black clothing, and backpacks as they carried signs, flags, sticks, and banners. Officers on bicycles stopped protesters at E. Pine Street and Broadway just after 9:40 p.m. by making a formation with their bodies and bicycles.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/city-police-bracing-may-day-marches-threat-violenc/nfmmx/

[nolabear]

17. Oh, that's the Anarchists. They do this every May Day.

I believe in good, organized protest but they strike me as a bunch of kids who are pissed off and can't manage to do anything useful. News coverage yesterday was almost funny as the local newscasters walked along with them and they (most masked) flipped off the cameras, shouted remarkably uncensored swear words, and when repeatedly asked why they were marching just shouted more swear words. Last night they threw stuff at police. It would make sense if they had a stated point but this is just the yearly asshattery and I don't have any respect for it.

Nobody mentioned the wage increase as far as I know.

[freshwest]

20. Of course they didn't mention the minimum wage. That's beneath their *lofty* goals. n/t

Hundreds of people marched wearing masks, black clothing, and backpacks as they carried signs, flags, sticks, and banners.

I agree. My days of calling this 'protest' are over with. It's all about them and no one else in the long run. They wouldn't deign to be bothered with real people and helping them get out of poverty. From what I've read of most of them, they want poverty to increase to the level of riots. The Koch brothers and militia want that, too. Meh!

[freshwest]

21. May Day. International Workers' Day. Anarchists who didn't care about the wage hike had their fun:

Officers on bicycles stopped protesters at East Pine Street and Broadway by making a formation with their bodies and bicycles. Officers were hit with bottles, bricks, and other projectiles. Police were shoved, and they shoved back. Seattle police said they believed officers used pepper spray in only one incident.

Shortly before 11 p.m., garbage gans were set on fire as police stayed around the group on Capitol Hill.

Seattle police said 10 people were arrested during the demonstrations:

* A 22-year-old man for property damage in the 1500 block of Broadway.
* A 23-year-old man for assaulting an officer at Sixth Avenue and Battery Street—officers also recovered a gun on the man during the arrest.
* An 18-year-old man for malicious mischief at Sixth Avenue and Virginia Street, where he damaged at least one vehicle.
* A 22-year-old man arrested for obstruction at Fifth Avenue and Virginia Street.
* A 17-year-old man arrested for property damage at Sixth and Pine Street.
* A 37-year-old man arrested for assault at Broadway and Pine Street.
* A 21-year-old man arrested for assault at Broadway and Pine Street.
* A 19-year-old arrested for assault at Broadway and Pine Street.
* A 20-year-old man arrested for assault at Broadway and E Olive Way.
* A 17-year-old man arrested for obstruction at Broadway and Pine Street.

What do you think of that by the way?

[freshwest]

22. I want to ask opinions on this, too:

Capt. Chris Fowler, in charge of the department's response to the demonstrations, asked that if people have a message to get out, they get it out safely and peacefully. Police escorted the permitted march of immigration and labor activists, and also planned to escort any later un-permitted marches, allowing them to block traffic but preparing to step in to stop property damage...


Which sounds reasonable and those who didn't tear things up had a peaceful protest and their views were heard.

The police department's blog said vandals spray-painted a few businesses early Thursday in the Capitol Hill neighborhood — a car dealership, bank, restaurant and "the neighborhood headquarters of the oppressive regime at the United States Postal Service."

Really, this is straight out the Infowars, Paulista camp. And the Libertarian Party platform that Koch rain on claims that. Not too much critical thinking going on.

Officers also found "Kill SPD" painted on the bank, and a flier was circulated calling for killing officers.

That's the Bundy playbook.

NOT saying this is what you or other DUers want. That's why their actions don't aren't progressive or liberal or about civil rights.

[jmowreader]

10. How does the "more than 500 employees nationwide" work for franchises?

Do they add up everyone who works in the franchisor's system or do they look at just that franchisor's operation? (Which won't help most of the big franchising operations because they have more than 500 people just in Seattle...)

[NC_Nurse]

11. AWESOME!

[WestSeattle2]

13. Will be interesting to see if standards of living actually improve

or if they simply receive larger paychecks. Doesn't do much good to get a raise if your landlord jacks your rent, taxes and user fees are increased, food and fuel prices rise - as soon as this becomes official. I'm guessing recipients will no longer qualify for government aid either - which is a good thing. No one wants to be tethered to the government. All in all, an excellent experiment.

[marions ghost]

18. Yeah some

will try to take advantage of the situation as they always do.

But people used to skinning it will be on the lookout for that. Advocacy and consumer protection are not good in this country, but that is changing slowly...

An experiment that absolutely must happen.

[kelliekat44]

15. I hope they take lots of convention business away from really "red" states. nt

[gopiscrap]

19. That's really great but:

it's phased in over several years....it needs to be implemented with 180 after the vote!!!