Good Job Senator Marshall!
Back when the General Assembly passed the bill to raise the minimum wage in January, to $8.25 18 months from now, it was such a pathetic pittance that I and others immediately called for someone in the General Assembly to introduce legislation to up the wage to $10.10. Senator Robert Marshall (D-Wilmington West) responded:
[Marshall] is offering a new bill that calls for bumping the minimum wage in the First State to $10.10 cents an hour in 2016. The increase signed into law in January raises the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $7.75 starting June 1st – and it will move to $8.25 an hour next June. Marshall says his proposal is in response to President Obama and New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon announcing their plans to boost the wage for government workers this year. Those changes do not affect private sector workers.
“Given what’s happened elsewhere, some might be tempted to say we’re not moving fast enough,” Marshall said in a statement. “But increasing the rate in this way, first allows our current increase to take hold and, second, gives the economic recovery a chance to gain some more steam which makes it easier for businesses to handle the increase.”
This argument that business needs time to adjust to increasing the minimum wage is bullshit. The taxpayer is subsidizing any company that pays a wage low enough that qualifies their workers for public assistance and the AMT.
As a business owner I value the work of my employees and choose to compensate them in a way that shows how important they are to the success of our business.
I also want to operate my business in a community where income is higher so that people can spend more money.
That reminds me. I hope that any Fiscal Note attached to this bill includes savings to the state realized in reductions to state subsidy costs. There will be a significant savings.
Not to mention, increases in state income taxes and economic activity associated with people having more money to spend.
We also need to close the paycheck loophole. More and more retailers are paying less then minimumn wage. Did you know that Sears is paying it’s cashiers 4.50 and 5.00. To its cashiers? They getby this by paying a small commission on shift sales. Great at Christmas but many of the staff don’t even make minimumn wage on most of their shifts. Or Brusters ice cream pays 4 per hour ;places out a tip jar and justifies the wages by saying our employees work for tips. The greatest working poverty relates to revolving part time shifts. Part time employees only receive their schedule days in advance. This prohibits employees from working several jobs in order to earn any kind of monthly income.