# $15 pr/hr Workers Ask For Less Hours



## IprepUprep (Jan 2, 2015)

If you don't feel like clicking the link, I've copied the article and shared it below:
------------------------------
Seattle Sees Unexpected Fallout from $15 Per Hour Min. Wage
------------------------------

Low wage workers in Seattle who spent months agitating for a city-wide $15-per-hour minimum wage were quite successful in their quest. But many have suddenly found that the new rate has had unexpected consequences.

Some workers across the city are left telling bosses to give them fewer hours at the higher wage because a full week's earnings now puts them past the threshold for some welfare payments such as food stamps and assistance with rent.

Of course, one of the things that supporters of the higher wage said was that they wanted to help lift min. wage workers out of poverty and welfare.

Only last week, for instance, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti claimed that a $15 min. wage in his city would lift 600,000 out of poverty. Self-avowed socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
16%
, a VT Senator and a candidate for the Democrat nomination in 2016, also recently claimed that a $15 min. wage would "lift millions" of Americans out of poverty, off welfare, and into the buying public.

But now some workers in Seattle are finding that the higher wage is forcing them off the welfare programs they would rather stay enrolled in and, instead of celebrating their higher income, they are imposing fewer work hours on themselves in order to stay on assistance.

Seattle's KIRO-TV recently spoke to a nursing nonprofit that admitted that some workers are trying to cut hours and earn less to avoid losing assistance. In another case, a local radio station has been talking about the story.

"If they cut down their hours to stay on those subsidies because the $15 per hour minimum wage didn't actually help get them out of poverty, all you've done is put a burden on the business and given false hope to a lot of people," said KIRO-FM's Jason Rantz said this week.

There have been other unforeseen consequences to the higher wage. Some restaurants are tacking on a 15 percent surcharge onto customer's bills in order to avoid firing workers.

Other stores, restaurants, and small businesses are simply closing down because they can't afford the wage hike. By March of this year, for instance, restaurant closings increased at a much higher than average rate in Seattle.

Many restaurants noted that the new wage put labor costs at nearly 50 percent of operating costs, and that made profit margins disappear.
----------End Of Article----------

If minimum wage goes this high across the country - I will quit my current job - which requires great organization, skill, continuous education, travel, independence, scheduling, inventory control, and endurance. I will get a McJob dunking fries. It will pay nearly the same - I will have less stress, and more freedom to focus mentally on other things that matter. Why? Because - my current job pays just a weee bit more than $15. Dunking fried is an entry level job to get people used to the work force - i.e. keeping a schedule, being on time, paying attention to minimal details, customer service (in some cases) handling money/debit cards, etc... and safety in the work place. Its a beginner job with beginner wages. If you want to flip burgers for a career - start your own burger joint. If you need experience at a first time job - go get a McJob. The only good thing about a McJob is leaving it for a better job. A guy in Florida cuts grass for a living. Just him. He is married with kids, he has a paid for home, two vehicles, no bills other than the monthly utilities. He has cut grass for 30 years. He is a millionaire - you would never know it to see him, or talk to him. He is self employed. That is what its all about - "making it".

I can see the look on the supervisors faces at McJob when THAT worker comes in and says; "Can I have less hours? This is killing my welfare benefits." Lazy Lazy Lazy - give them something to crawl out of a stinking hole, and they beg to stay in it. Go figure.


----------



## OctopusPrime (Dec 2, 2014)

Fire them..I'm sure there's plenty others who will work full time for 15 an hr. Simple solution.

Open availability only at full time for 15 an hr. No part timers. That gets rid of a lot of undesirables.


----------



## IprepUprep (Jan 2, 2015)

It would be easy to fire them - I agree - schedule for 40 hours, if they don't show, or call off sick, can them, and hire someone willing to do the full time work. If they bitch, make them clean toilets. Those are some nasty restrooms after bus loads of tourists flood those places. I for one - stay away from fast food... I cook at home 90% of the time. If I do go to dinner - I support local places.


----------



## OctopusPrime (Dec 2, 2014)

Exactly. the main problem here is hr. Hr needs to hire hard workers and put in a probationary period so it is easy to fire lazy, rude, trouble makers ect


----------



## azrancher (Dec 14, 2014)

The solution is simple, eliminate welfare, re-institute soup kitchens, they won't starve but they won't be able to buy twinkies either. (sorry that should have been skittles)

*Rancher*


----------



## James m (Mar 11, 2014)




----------



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I am not surprised with this. This all about redistribution and further attempts at socialism. Many people simply do not want to work, not for 5 bucks an hour 15 bucks an hour or 100 bucks an hour. They simply DO NOT WANT TO WORK. The socialists who advocate for things like a min wage increase are evil and want to stick it to the man or they are simply incompetent, ignorant or flat out mentally ill.


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

What the low-skilled, low-educated workers fail to grasp is that a $15/hour wage will attract people much more motivated and able to do the job than Sally McBurgerflipper.
I have been a low level manager/supervisor for many years. I know who I would hire. And getting rid of the low skilled would not be hard to do, and still stay completely legal as far as corporate HR is concerned.

But the bigger picture here is unions. The unions don't care one iota about these workers. Federal contracts are based on a percentage above a minimum wage baseline. Therefore a rising tide lifts all boats, and by extension, union coffers.

It was just last month that Obama, with his famous pen, arbitrarily raised the federal minimum wage. This is all tied together.


----------



## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Paying out more in wages means that you have to increase the price of your goods and services. You can't have a $1 burger when it costs $5 to buy and prepare. 
Minimum wages increase every cost associated with business from the raw materials, harvesting, Cleaning/preparation, shipping, processing, shipping, warehousing, shipping, preparation at the retail level and finally the price we pay for it.

Each level and shipping to the next level must make a profit on the labor and machinery used so the price goes up at each point along the way. All that is happening is a very short term boom followed by rabid inflation. Double minimum wage and triple the cost to the consumer and the bottom of the pay scale is still at the poverty level. All that is accomplished is that the poverty level has been raised to counter the raise in pay.

I did not misspell rabid - I meant for it to mean lethal, deadly undesirable and not rapid - meaning fast)


----------



## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Pay more so people can slack more to keep the freebies. Some of these dregs are not even worth the current minimum wage let alone $15 per hour. I have come across a few I would not hire even if they offered to pay me.


----------



## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

In a highschool economics class we did a little experiment using the five classes as an economic base. Everyone started out with the same amount of money. Within a month the money had been distributed so that 10% had 90% of the money. Everyone had the same bills and living expenses yet only those who knew how to make their money work ended up with more. Those who only knew how to spend ended up with less than they started with.

The same experiment was run each year with different people with identical results every time. If you spread the wealth around to the entire world so that everyone had the same starting point at the end of the first year the money would have the same distribution it has today. Redistributing funds is a win for those who know how to use money and a lose for those who only know how to spend it. That is exactly why there are so many lottery winners who are broke and in debt just a year or two after they win tremendous sums of money.


----------



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Within the last couple of years, we had our own "dilemma" within our family regarding Labor Unions. 

Both my grandfathers were union men in the steel industry. Dad graduated high school and joined the union as soon as he could until Uncle Sam and the US Army decided that Dad should spend some time doing whatever US Army Men did in Germany in the 1950's. 

He returned to the states a free market capitalist, moved to a non union part of the country and started to live the American dream. He was as anti-union a man as possible, denigrating the union and how it brainwashed his Father and Father in Law for years. 

Hence, I was raised a union hating free market capitalist like him. I despise government public sector unions with a passion. I also believe that certain private sector unions, while necessary in the early to mid 19th century, have contributed over the past 40 years to the demise of certain industries.

Well in the past 2 years, our youngest son (Cam19 on the forum) decided that college was not the route for him so he enrolls in Electrical Lineman school, earns the necessary certificates, and a Class A CDL and gets a dream job with a large publicly traded Power Company in GA. Shortly after his training period he calls me and says, "Dad, did you ever think your son would be a union member"? Before I could answer, he says, "Well I'm IBEW as of today".

The phone didn't go silent since I was aware that would probably happen but I must admit I had some concerns but didn't voice them. Here's my kid...no..here's a full grown Man doing a full grown Man's job (and a dangerous one) and getting paid damn good money to do the job... AND he has some benefits (that he and the consumers pay for but that's a different post) "provided" by the Union. His first week as a Union member he got a raise and a day off with pay! WTH?

Makes a man think. 

Well I guess he could be like all these dumbass in-debt kids with high faluttin' degrees and no job? :joyous:


----------



## OctopusPrime (Dec 2, 2014)

Slippy said:


> Within the last couple of years, we had our own "dilemma" within our family regarding Labor Unions.
> 
> Both my grandfathers were union men in the steel industry. Dad graduated high school life and joined the union as soon as he could until Uncle Sam and the US Army decided that Dad should spend some time doing whatever US Army Men did in Germany in the 1950's.
> 
> ...


I dislike unions as well, and ironically I was forced into being a member of one at my job. I pay the union 18.75 a week for absolutely nothing besides protecting lazy workers. They ask for donations to support politics I disagree with as well...at first I refused to pay the union intiation fees of 100 dollars and the weekly dues, but then I got a letter stating membership is mandatory for employment at Fred Meyer...it rubbed me the wrong way to say the least.


----------



## darsk20 (Jun 1, 2015)

Slippy said:


> Within the last couple of years, we had our own "dilemma" within our family regarding Labor Unions.
> 
> Both my grandfathers were union men in the steel industry. Dad graduated high school and joined the union as soon as he could until Uncle Sam and the US Army decided that Dad should spend some time doing whatever US Army Men did in Germany in the 1950's.
> 
> ...


The IBEW is the only union that seems out for the betterment of its members AND its business partners.

They train, have standards and hold their members accountable. If you are good at your job, work hard you get more. Never met one that wasn't all of the above.

Cannot say the same for other unions.


----------



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

darsk20 said:


> The IBEW is the only union that seems out for the betterment of its members AND its business partners.
> 
> They train, have standards and hold their members accountable. If you are good at your job, work hard you get more. Never met one that wasn't all of the above.
> 
> Cannot say the same for other unions.


I would agree darsk. Even though the bhozo is attempting further ruination of our power grid, it seems as if the IBEW from what my son tells us, is looking after the longevity of the power grid.

This just in today;
Obama announces power plant regulations, GOP lawmakers vow fight | Fox News


----------



## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

Has any of these people ever heard of "The laws of unintended consequences". Evidently not. What a bunch of buffoons!


----------



## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

well think about it if they wern't buffoons i think they would have found a better career than flipin burgers at mcnally's sit and gulp.
those jobs are designed for high turn over /revolving door stuff . I doubt anyone wakes up saying hey that's what i want to do for my career.
all they seen was -i can make how much !!!


----------



## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

slippy said:


> i am not surprised with this. This all about redistribution and further attempts at socialism. Many people simply do not want to work, not for 5 bucks an hour 15 bucks an hour or 100 bucks an hour. They simply do not want to work. The socialists who advocate for things like a min wage increase are evil and want to stick it to the man or they are simply incompetent, ignorant or flat out mentally ill.


put all those evil socialist on slippy's pikes!


----------



## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

Actually in part I was referring to the folks who pass these laws, but goes to the brain dead who wanted it too.


----------



## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

The united auto workers and united steel workers aff of l/cio are the most corrupt of all of them outside of the longshoremen..
I belonged to united steel in the early sixties, was as corrupt as hell then.


----------



## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Slippy, Florida is a right to work state. At one job, for a well known Fortune 500 national corporation, I was one of two employees at our location who refused to join the Teamsters.
Teamsters Business Agent would come around at contract time, driving a new Lincoln Town Car, wearing a tailored 3 piece suit and gold jewelry. 
I was not going to support his lifestyle, nope.
Oh, sure, there was pressure to join. I finally got tired of it and pulled my "drug crazed, psychotic baby killer Vietnam veteran" act on the ringleader in the break room.:glee:
Teamsters aren't so tough after all.:joyous:
One year later, in the mini recession of the late 80's there was a layoff. The person with the least seniority had to go. That should have been me, but my general manager kept me and got rid of the lowest union guy.
Today, that manager and I still work together, but for a different corporation. He's a big boss now (some kind of vice president), and i'm a branch manager. Life is good, our company treats me well.


----------



## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

They're all products of the first "ME" generation (mine) and their subsequent generations . They don't know anything but "cradle to grave" gov't subsidies. 
Lord help us all, we'll be over the 50% welfare mark by election time next year.


----------

