What's going on with raising the minimum wage

[eridani]

3. Nick Hanauer on the $15 minimum

Nick Hanauer on the $15 minimum wage
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/how-a-15-minimum-wage-would-make-everyone-richer/Content?oid=19138455

As members of the advisory committee that will be offering recommendations to the mayor next month, we know there'll be policy options aplenty. We're hearing from all sides about the trade-offs and consequences.

But we want to be very clear: $15 isn't just about $15. It's about recognizing what actually makes this city so special—and making a conscious effort to nurture it.

Though there are cities in America bigger than Seattle, no city can match our combination of economic dynamism and civic engagement. While we have plenty of successful capitalists in Seattle, this isn't a town like Dallas or New York that worships the super-wealthy and believes in trickle-down economics.

People here recognize that prosperity and community emerge from the middle out, not the top down. That we're connected in an ecosystem. That we're all better off when we're all better off. It's why so many companies here treat their workers better than the market says they have to. Compare Costco to Walmart. Or Starbucks to McDonald's. Or Tom Douglas restaurants to Olive Garden.

This "Cascadian" form of capitalism works—for everyone, not just for capitalists. And we believe that raising Seattle's minimum wage to $15 in a speedy, simplified, and practical way will make our city more competitive and bring giant benefits, both economic and civic.