Guess what the starting pay is at Starbucks?!

Do people really not understand that if wages go up, prices will too? Do they think "corporations" (ooh! *shiver*) print money in their basements or something?

In general, publicly held corporations' directors/management are required by law to work to maximize their shareholders' profit. There's an argument to be made (in some industries, at least) that raising workers' base pay will actually improve profits, but it's not an argument that most posters in this thread are making.

FWIW I worked below (when getting tips) and at minimum wage for years. I lived cheaply, but never had to resort to food stamps or other public assistance; and I was motivated to go to school and better myself.

I was also motivated NOT to have children until I was in a better position to take care of them. I'm sorry that some people don't seem to think that way before having kids of their own, but that's really not a compelling reason for screwing up the labor market.

Another stupid midwesterner wrote:

Starbucks is hip?

Starbucks is a chain.

Oh no, not a chain.

You're a freakin simpleton.

I bet your eyes are a little close together, aren't they?

Give us a buzz on your iPhone once you break out of your mom's basement in the comfortable suburbian sprawl that is your existence in your hero online realm. Bitch

Oh yeah, Starbucks is a chain. Big time chain.

Wednesday 4 PM 64St and Broadway (Lincoln Center)NY NY

The lack of empathy on this board astounds me. You cannot assume that all middle aged min wage workers are there because they were lazy.

joec9000 wrote:

The lack of empathy on this board astounds me. You cannot assume that all middle aged min wage workers are there because they were lazy.

This. My goodness, name calling on a message board is a good route to go. I'm sorry if the privilege comment makes people uncomfortable but the point is to have a discussion about it. As someone said, minimum wage jobs were not meant to be full time jobs but they have become the norm for low wage workers in various sectors. They are definitely not a stepping stone in most cases. It is very rare for someone working the front line at McDonald's to become a store owner. It is much more common to work that job for five years and only make $.10 more than when one started.

I would argue it is much better if corporations step up and take on the costs of their workers so taxpayers are not left to cover their costs when they have the money to do so. Then we can prioritize other issues as a country and spend more money in other areas. For the middle class business comments, I think there is some logic there but the middle class has been on the decline for decades. Income inequality is worse now than it has been since unions were at their strongest in the 1950s-1960s. Raising the wage can push more money back into the economy for people to spend at small businesses. One person asked about rising costs if wages go up. This may also be true to some extent but in Denmark, McDonald's workers often earn more than $20/hr. with paid sick leave and overtime. Their Big Mac's cost $.50 more. That seems like a small amount to lift a large group of workers out of poverty.

My local event on Wednesday is in Hartford, CT at 4:15 in Bushnell Park. See you there! Anyone down for a run afterwards?