Seattle restaurants torn over minimum wage hike

PBS NewsHour asked:

Seattle’s push to raise the minimum wage to $15 has left owners and workers in the city’s restaurant industry conflicted. Caught between moral pressure on the one hand, and market pressure…

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25 thoughts on “Seattle restaurants torn over minimum wage hike

  1. Andrew Stephenson

    rebuild it

    The level of selfishness and ignorance in these comments is so
    disappointing. Here we have people who cannot afford an education on
    minimum wage – let alone even survive – and here people comment saying
    “you’re worth what you’re paid” and it’s so disheartening. I worked a
    minimum wage job (dishwasher) at a restaurant and now I’m graduating from
    university with BS in engineering only because I have parents that can pay
    for it. I know this as I have friends where it’s taken up to 10 years to
    get a bachelors degree as they spend one year in class with their
    boyfriend/girlfriend also working and the next year them both working to
    pay for the next year’s tuition. If I wasn’t lucky to have parents that
    supported me, I would have a minimum wage job until I meet someone to help
    work … $7/hr after taxes won’t even pay for the cheapest studio apartment
    in Seattle let alone save up for tuition.

    To be honest, $15/hr isn’t very generous, $18-$20/hr would be better.

    Reply
  2. unleashed rider

    lottery

    If you raised employees of a grocery story to $15 an hour the items on your
    food would go up 7 cents per item that’s the reality it wouldn’t make stuff
    go up that much in fast food you’re already getting ripped off so don’t try
    to defend that you get a half pound of potatoes for $2 it costs the store
    15 cents a pound of potatoes costing 8 cents fountain drinks same thing its
    ten dollars for a large meal any where you go I wouldn’t be eating there
    anyways 

    Reply
  3. Gevian Dargan

    New Site

    I promise all the restaurant workers that when the minimum wage is raised
    to $15.00, getting a tip from me will be the least of your problems,
    because by raising the minimum wage to $15.00, you won’t need my tips to
    subsidize your pay any longer. And I will be able to tip workers who
    actually provide me legitimately EXCELLENT customer service as opposed to
    tipping people because of the off-chance that I don’t, you might not make
    your rent this month.

    If your margins are so razor-thin, business people, you are obviously in a
    over-saturated marketplace where you have no clear competitive advantage.
    You’re better off shutting down your business, getting a job, and freeing
    up that capital for people who actually have a winning idea, product,
    and/or business model.

    Welcome to capitalism…

    Reply
  4. davetileguy

    my wife

    So young kids being in their first job ever should get $ 15 bucks an hr ?
    Dicks Restaurant should provide all the other benefits ? Seattle is so
    stupid they deserve what the are about to not get .

    Reply
  5. MaPee1982

    no credit check

    Seattle is going to turn into a shithole if minimum wage is raised to
    $15/hr. Employers are going to lay off hundreds of workers because they can
    no longer afford to hire them, which will lead to a spike in the
    unemployment rate. Cost of living is going to raise even further than it
    currently already is. With tax too, already being so high, tax payers are
    going to be forced to pay up the ass in a ever higher tax rate to assist
    the unemployed. Robbing, looting, shooting and drug dealing will slowly
    creep in and eventually become a normal everyday activity. Way to go
    clueless, lazy, no skill having, burger flipping, entry level ass,
    self-entitled idiots. You will be the cause of your own misery.

    Reply
  6. Brandyn Henry

    online contest

    You dumb fucking liberals still have not once in any coherent fashion
    explained to me why $15/hour is good. Just make it 2 kazillion dollars then.

    I know you self righteous assholes love children and minorities so much. So
    how is a black teen from an impoverished background ever suppose to get out
    now. Nobody’s gonna hire that kid now to flip burgers for essentially 30
    dollars an hour after payroll taxes, regulation compliance, training, and a
    boat ton other fucking things you dumb fucking liberals never think about
    but sure the fuck create.

    lol, liberalism. it wouldn’t be so funny if it weren’t for the fact that
    you will always inevitably get your way, like a bunch a titty sucking momma
    boys.

    Reply
  7. donald new jr.

    car insurance offers

    Yeah 15 bucks an hours will hurt a lot of mom and papas stores there. I bet
    some already before this bill pass was struggling to pay off debts. Now
    they may have to close up shop.I get it that minimum wage does need to
    increase everywhere, but 15 bucks an hour is a little to much. At less
    10.50 or 11.50 an hour is fair.

    Reply
  8. Saturnusplanetkraft

    community college

    Look at Iceland before the bank crash was one of the wealthiest nations.
    With 80-90% unionization anyone employed has the right to earn a living.
    Even servers are paid so well, tipping is generally frowned upon. When you
    help the working people and not the CEOs and the working citizens are also
    treated like the consumers they are, you have an economy that works!
    Increasing the minimum wage by a few dollars may raise prices by mere
    pennies. 

    Reply
  9. Kevin sinitski

    Chat

    So it took me 4 years of trade school working a full time job and part time
    job to pay for that shooling and 5 years of making below 12.50 a hour to
    make 15 a hour and 8 years latter I now make 35 a hour so now a pot head
    flipping burgers can make half of what I make. Don’t get me wrong I know
    not everybody that works at McDonalds or Walmart are lazy or ignorant and
    don’t have any self motivation but were does it stop.

    Reply
  10. joskemom

    New coupons

    Well reality has come forth. Even before the April 1st min wage pay
    hike, many restaurants have closed and moved out because they did the math
    and see that they can not do 15 hr min wage. So the result of the min
    wage hike, we have more unemployment in Seatte. Damn that was so
    predictable. 

    Reply
  11. Mark Furrer

    WTF

    your business seems to me to be agest and segreated of people who are
    older…you are making a killing on healthy young people . bulshit family of
    fives still have a tough time eating out….fuck the assholes who will pay
    more for their single hamburger…..

    Reply
  12. TheGoldeagle99

    is it safe

    What will Seattle do when some of the 11 million illegals here move there
    and apply for those same $15/hr jobs? Fuckin stupid. Why not make min wage
    $50/hr or pay entry level workers $50,000 a year? You let the free market
    determine wages along with company competition, creating an employee’s
    market,the applicants themselves,supply & demand, and less damn gov’t
    regulation. 

    Reply

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