Comments for Raise the Wage, KC! http://raisethewagekansas.org/kansascity Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:18:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 Comment on Zach’s Story by Roman Valenzuela http://raisethewagekansas.org/kansascity//zachs-story/#comment-26 Roman Valenzuela Sat, 29 Dec 2007 01:12:35 +0000 http://www.raisethewagekansas.org/wichita/who-survives/zachs-story/#comment-26 I agree, and it's not just in waiting tables. I did that my eighth grade summer vacation, and it is a hard job to do to survive on just tips. Now as a highschooler, people still don't take teenaged labor seriously. My wage was around $2.25 an hour, and I could never find anywhere decent enough to spend it. I mean, yeah, it's good if you save up for about a year, but people who work that hard usually want to spend the money on bills, rent, clothes, and other things. I agree, and it’s not just in waiting tables. I did that my eighth grade summer vacation, and it is a hard job to do to survive on just tips. Now as a highschooler, people still don’t take teenaged labor seriously. My wage was around $2.25 an hour, and I could never find anywhere decent enough to spend it. I mean, yeah, it’s good if you save up for about a year, but people who work that hard usually want to spend the money on bills, rent, clothes, and other things.

]]> Comment on Zach’s Story by Lindsay http://raisethewagekansas.org/kansascity//zachs-story/#comment-24 Lindsay Mon, 01 Oct 2007 05:09:20 +0000 http://www.raisethewagekansas.org/wichita/who-survives/zachs-story/#comment-24 I appreciate this very much! I have been waiting table for the last four years. Restaurants take advantage of servers. In my first job, it was the servers responsibility to do tasks completely unrelated to serving the guests. We had to take the food temperatures, and do all the cleaning at the end of the night, while everyone who had a decent hourly wage got to go home early. There would be times when the store would close at 9 or 10 and the servers would be there until 1 or 2 in the morning working for $2.13 an hour finishing up cleaning. I appreciate this very much! I have been waiting table for the last four years. Restaurants take advantage of servers. In my first job, it was the servers responsibility to do tasks completely unrelated to serving the guests. We had to take the food temperatures, and do all the cleaning at the end of the night, while everyone who had a decent hourly wage got to go home early. There would be times when the store would close at 9 or 10 and the servers would be there until 1 or 2 in the morning working for $2.13 an hour finishing up cleaning.

]]> Comment on Raise the Wage NOW! by admin http://raisethewagekansas.org/kansascity//raise-the-wage-now/#comment-4 admin Wed, 05 Sep 2007 19:34:31 +0000 #comment-4 Thank you, Bryan for your question. Your question assumes that increasing the minimum wage will cause prices to go up, and that they will go up significantly. In fact, there is substantial evidence that suggests otherwise. This research looks at both the effects of the previous federal minimum wage increase of 1996-97, and the states that have raised their wages above the federal level. The research shows that increasing the minimum wage does not cause job loss (read the evidence yourself at http://www.raisethewagekansas.org/wichita/resources/). Another way of answering your question is: if workers make more money, they will spend it BY NECESSITY on the basics: rent, food, utilities, childcare and transportation. This pumps more dollars into local economies. By NOT raising the minimum wage, these workers and their families will be increasingly dependent on social services paid for by your tax dollars, like housing subsidies, food stamps and Medicaid. Don't you think it makes more sense to raise the wage? Don't you think that workers deserve to be paid more than the Kansas minimum wage of $2.65 an hour? It has been at this level since 1988, during which time, the cost of living has inarguably gone up, no matter where you live. Finally, don't you think an honest day's work deserves fair pay? Thank you, Bryan for your question. Your question assumes that increasing the minimum wage will cause prices to go up, and that they will go up significantly. In fact, there is substantial evidence that suggests otherwise. This research looks at both the effects of the previous federal minimum wage increase of 1996-97, and the states that have raised their wages above the federal level. The research shows that increasing the minimum wage does not cause job loss (read the evidence yourself at http://www.raisethewagekansas.org/wichita/resources/).

Another way of answering your question is: if workers make more money, they will spend it BY NECESSITY on the basics: rent, food, utilities, childcare and transportation. This pumps more dollars into local economies. By NOT raising the minimum wage, these workers and their families will be increasingly dependent on social services paid for by your tax dollars, like housing subsidies, food stamps and Medicaid. Don’t you think it makes more sense to raise the wage? Don’t you think that workers deserve to be paid more than the Kansas minimum wage of $2.65 an hour? It has been at this level since 1988, during which time, the cost of living has inarguably gone up, no matter where you live. Finally, don’t you think an honest day’s work deserves fair pay?

]]> Comment on Raise the Wage NOW! by Bryan http://raisethewagekansas.org/kansascity//raise-the-wage-now/#comment-2 Bryan Mon, 03 Sep 2007 04:35:04 +0000 #comment-2 Q: What happens when the price of something goes up? a) Since it costs more, people can afford to buy less of it b) When the cost of something goes up, nothing happens If you chose a), congratulations! You know why raising the minimum wage (the price of hiring a worker) causes fewer people to have jobs. Q: What happens when the price of something goes up?

a) Since it costs more, people can afford to buy less of it
b) When the cost of something goes up, nothing happens

If you chose a), congratulations! You know why raising the minimum wage (the price of hiring a worker) causes fewer people to have jobs.

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