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What This Liberal Just Said About The $19 Minimum Wage Will Have Small Business Owners’ Heads Spin
A debate in America’s most liberal city is brewing between those claiming they want justice for low-income workers, and the small businesses that employ them.
The city of Berkeley, Calif., wants to implement a plan that would raise the minimum wage to $19 an hour by 2020. The problem is that small business owners say it could drive them out of business.
Polly Armstrong, chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce in Berkeley, said increasing the hourly wage rate is a move to make everyone feel better about low-income workers.
“Because we care about our workers, it feels good to say everyone should get a living wage,” she said.
However, small business owners are giving Armstrong a different point of view.
“What I hear is business owners who say, ‘This may put me out of business, but I don’t want to say publicly that I don’t want to pay my workers everything they deserve,’” Armstrong said.
In truth, Armstrong said some business owners in town don’t earn $19 an hour.
The “living wage” proposal was developed by the city’s labor commission and is slated to come before the city council on November 10. A vote was taken Sept. 15 to postpone the vote until November after the public spent an hour commenting. Those commenting included 31 advocates for raising the minimum wage and 12 business owners, or those supporting businesses, expressing caution on the change.
Many argue the gap between income and the cost of living is widening significantly, with rent escalating to more than $2,800 for a one-bedroom apartment. There are those, like City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who see this as a way to help poor, working families.
“My mission is how can I fight and win a small measure of justice for the struggling families in Berkeley who are trying to make do on a minimum wage and working three or four jobs and trying to feed their kids,” Worthington said.
Business owners, who would not offer reporters their names out of fear of being maligned for placing a priority on corporate interests, said such a dramatic boost could shut their stores down because they would no longer be viable.
There are several minimum wage increases the city has already approved through 2016. Those doing business in Berkeley said they would like to know the impact of those raises before calling for additional pay hikes.
Source: http://www.westernjournalism.com/what-this-liberal-just-said-about-the-19-minimum-wage-will-have-small-business-owners-heads-spin/
politicians are fricking morons,.. they’ve almost to a person, never owned a business nor ever had to meet a payroll! but they feel as though they know whats best.
A POLITICIAN WOULD NEVER TAKE THE JOB FOR 19 BUCKS AN HOUR! but if it’s good enough for the little people, why not for politicians?? just paying these morons 19 bucks an hour “WITH NO BENEFITS, they can use OBAMACARE like everyone else,” would save taxpayers BILLIONS of dollars!