Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Sun, Aug 22 2004
Minimum Wage Enforcement? What Else Might Work?
We're having mumblings over California's minimum wage. I can understand both sides of the issue, but I wonder at the wisdom of forcing employers to pay a wage that makes them likely to open a business somewhere else. If it's a mom-and-pop kind of store, I would like to see them work it out on an individual basis. But for chains, such as fast food restaurants, it makes sense to encourage them to pay their employees more in states that have a high cost of living. Every time we have been to an IN-N-OUT Burger, it's tough to find a place to sit. The restaurants are packed, and the drive-through service is busy at the same time. They start their employees out at well over the minimum wage, and they still manage to move their products. But I believe (someone correct me if I'm mistaken) that they also own all their stores. They don't make money selling franchises to people and then watch the franchise operator struggle to stay afloat while paying employees a very low wage. Something doesn't seem quite right about this whole system.
I'm not saying that franchises are evil. But what if we encouraged companies like In-N-OUT Burger to do more business in our state? Why force a higher minimum wage on every company when there are plenty of other companies who see the virtue in paying employees well without being forced to do so? We might not have as many fast food places if we did that, but we'd have fewer people having to take two and three jobs to make a living.
posted at: 07:54 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
We're having mumblings over California's minimum wage. I can understand both sides of the issue, but I wonder at the wisdom of forcing employers to pay a wage that makes them likely to open a business somewhere else. If it's a mom-and-pop kind of store, I would like to see them work it out on an individual basis. But for chains, such as fast food restaurants, it makes sense to encourage them to pay their employees more in states that have a high cost of living. Every time we have been to an IN-N-OUT Burger, it's tough to find a place to sit. The restaurants are packed, and the drive-through service is busy at the same time. They start their employees out at well over the minimum wage, and they still manage to move their products. But I believe (someone correct me if I'm mistaken) that they also own all their stores. They don't make money selling franchises to people and then watch the franchise operator struggle to stay afloat while paying employees a very low wage. Something doesn't seem quite right about this whole system.
I'm not saying that franchises are evil. But what if we encouraged companies like In-N-OUT Burger to do more business in our state? Why force a higher minimum wage on every company when there are plenty of other companies who see the virtue in paying employees well without being forced to do so? We might not have as many fast food places if we did that, but we'd have fewer people having to take two and three jobs to make a living.
posted at: 07:54 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
