If minimum wage goes up to $9.50 ...

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How many of us would work in a flower shop, today, for $9.50 an hour, with our "perceived" skill sets?

Maybe minimum wage is not the issue but the prevailing wage. What point are you getting more than the bottom of the hiring pool, and where is the floor for employment for the floral trade?
 
ivygreen said:
How many of us would work in a flower shop, today, for $9.50 an hour, with our "perceived" skill sets?

Maybe minimum wage is not the issue but the prevailing wage. What point are you getting more than the bottom of the hiring pool, and where is the floor for employment for the floral trade?
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Not more than 3 years ago I was managing a store for only 15.00 an hour...Regular floral pay was between 10 and 12 dollars an hour...and that was for skilled designers at most shops...Big shops that paid more you kind of had to wait for someone to retire or move on and hope for an opening and small shops just couldn't afford...That is because most small shops are over employed just by having the owner, but if that owner wants a day off they feel they need to hire at least a minimally skilled person to be OK in a shop without them there...so a minimum wage person just won't do...

I personally think that we are all underpaid for the skills we posess but until people are willing to spend money on flowers like they do a clogged toilet we wait...
 
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Yes I would Ivy, since no one really give you an answer, But I would, I don't think, that I am better than that, Actually, I have helped a shop out in the last fews weeks,and they don't even pay that, and I tell, he has the happiest staff, I have ever been around in a long time, So it just goes to show, and,. Thanks for all you do as well,,,

Hugs
 
If the minimum wage goes from $6.50 to $9.50 and a shop owner has 4 employees do any of you know how much that is wage increase is going to cost the owner in pay and insurance?

Lets look, $3 increase times 2000 hours x 4 employees equals $24,000 in additional payroll.

This not count SSI/Medicare which will add additional $1.836.

Now lets estimare Workers Comp..... that will probably add another $2500.

so if a shop doing say $350,000 in Gross Sales get hit with an extra $28,336 in payroll expenses, the shop will incur an 8 pct increase in the Labor/GS pct.

If your shop is already at 30-32 pct, labor will now take up 40 pct of the GS.

That is a recipe for disaster.

So, a good business owner will be forced to fire 1 employee and reduce another employee's hours by about half.

Now, ask yourself which is better, no job, a part-time job or full employment.

Remember, owners and managers don't buy employees, we buy labor. Employees are free to seek better employment opportunities anytime they wish.

Joe
 
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No matter how high the minimum wage is raised, it will never be high enough because the price of every thing will go up porportionately. Those who make minimum wage will always be poor. That's what I was saying before. I don't want them to be poor, but that's just the way things go.

Those who make higher than the minimum wage will have less buying power.

And Joe is right about all of those payroll taxes and other taxes.
 
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Sorry but when you are @@@@ hungry or the bills need to be paid a $9.50 and hour job is a good one and a welcome one.
Do watcha gotta do man, so you go get an additional job. I've worked three jobs before...never figured anybody owed me a @@@@ thing. I was grateful that I lived in a country that offered me the opportunity to work, period.
Anybody that won't work for $9.50 an hour either doesn't need the job or they aren't that hungry.
 
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Our minimum wage has currently just gone up to £5.73 per hour which is $11.46 dollars. I do only pay that to my saturday girl but will put it up when she is a little more experienced. I would love to pay more but feel that i would have to put my prices up etc to cover it and could price myself out of the market.

But then you only have to look at our petrol prices.... Britain is getting really bad now for the cost of living. No wonder, people are leaving by the thousand. Might have to come and join you lot over the pond...
 
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Here is a question for all of you who feel a higher minimum wage is needed.

Where does that additional money come from?

For me, and other owners it comes out of my pocket.

If you are an advocate for a higher minimum wage and you are an employee, how would you feel if I took the additional money away from your pay in order to fund this new mandate?

I have often thought about just turning over 20 pct of Gross Sales to the employees and telling them to divide it up amongst themselves.

Imagine how that conversation would go! I doubt that it would work.

Remember, it is easy for you employees to say "yes we need a living wage", but you're not the ones that have to fund it.

think about it.

joe
 
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:yourock: Joe ~ Now I'm thinking of hiring a personnel director. Looking for a job? I'll beat the proposed minimum wage by $1 if you'll relocate.
 
The minmum wage here has gone up every year for the past few years (largely due to rising inflation). What happens is the customers pay a little more (but their wage has gone up as well), the staff have a few hours cut. A little here and a little there. There haven't been any major lay offs or companies closing due to the minimum wage going up. I'm sure some clever individual will now trawl the net to find an example to prove me wrong - if they do my argument is: those job cuts were just to make the company MORE money, not to maintain a level profit.

The companies here that make major job cuts have unionised staff, so they are paying way above minimum wage.
 
Joe Mioux said:
That is why our government provides Food Stamps, has the WIC program, subsidized housing, and a whole host of other supportive tax payer funded assistance.

joe
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Exactly the reason those programs are necessary and appreciated - we have 2 employees that couldn't make it to work without the additional funds they get from those programs.

If they didn't receive those bennies- we would have to somehow make it up ourselves.

And this is liberal like its a bad thing?

Do you think if they took that away we would pay less taxes or something?

I very much doubt that.

And reading this thread makes me realize I need to give my employees a raise again soon.
 
bloomzie,

You have been reading my posts and interpreting some of what I say incorrectly.

Did I say the food stamp program was bad? No. I was pointing out the fact that even if a person works at $7.75 (IL's min wage) there are other programs available that will help provide assistance.

Now, lets talk about your two employees on Food Stamps.

Why aren't you providing them with a living wage? If they are earning $9 per hour, go ahead and pay them $15. At $15 they might have some disposable income that they could use to help stimulate the economy.

While you are at it, make sure you pay 100 pct of the health insurance and their family's health insurance.

I am making a point and not challenging you.

My point is, you are paying them what you can afford to pay them but more importantly what they are worth to your business. Labor is nothing different than any other cost. You buy the best value. Think about your cut flower purchases. A florist will buy the best quality flowers at the lowest possible price.

think about it.
joe
 
I think I got it Joe.

Please remember I am a liberal and we think on an "elevated" plane. (notice I didn't say higher even tho I meant it)

:spintongu

that's a joke, people, calm down
 
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Somehow I feel the need this morning to explain that my employees are paid salaries higher than minimum wage.
 
Connie said:
Somehow I feel the need this morning to explain that my employees are paid salaries higher than minimum wage.
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As are mine, but the point being that if the minimum goes up an additional $2.00, I will have employees that I'll feel the need to raise in tandem with that. At the current rate, they are well well over minimum. If raised to $9.50, suddenly, they'll be just over the minimum, where now they are generously above it. We will need to raise pricing, and possibly scale back on employees as well. Not the best way to grow a business.
 
Ours goes to $8.40 on Jan 1 anyway - I believe I've heard we have the highest in the nation?
 
You may be right, Bloomz. Ours is $8.07 now, but going up to $8.55 as of Jan. 1, 2009.
 
Fast food chains are big lobbiests for keeping minimum wage down. They work at a small profit margin. Paying their help more would force them to raise their prices. Interesting reading is "fast food Nation". explains alot
 
An increase in the minimum wage is also a tax increase.

Both for the business and the employee.

I alluded to this in an earlier post, but it bears repeating. SSI/medicare will see additional revenues, if businesses retain the employee.

also, higher wages means larger income taxes. Even if the witholdings are eventually returned to the employee via IRS refund. The govt gets to use that money interest free for the year, before having to return it.
 
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