- Low wages keep restaurant workers in cycle of poverty, By Mackensey Lunsford, November 22, 2014, Asheville Citizen-Times: “Here’s what goes into a rough shift for Andrea Bourgeois, waitress at a Mills River restaurant. Scrub the bathroom floors. Deal with a finicky patron, or two — or more. Stay at it for $2.13 an hour. Leave with $20 in bills and some change. It’s not an uncommon scene for restaurant workers, who have seen hours cut and wages stay the same while some chains have enjoyed bottom-line growth. But as servers and kitchen workers battle a paycheck-to-paycheck life, smaller independent restaurants face challenges of their own, a problem highlighted in Asheville because of the size of its food industry…”
- Boosting minimum wage could be a net loss for some, By Anna Staver, November 23, 2014, Salem Statesman Journal: “Gov. John Kitzhaber wants to raise the minimum wage. The easy part would be passing legislation. Which means the hard part isn’t convincing Republicans or business advocacy groups to go along with the idea, it’s explaining to minimum wage advocates how raising wages for low-income Oregonians without adjusting the social safety net could do more harm than good…”
- Nebraska’s ‘real’ minimum wage will be nation’s highest, By Zach Pluhacek, November 26, 2014, Lincoln Journal Star: “Nebraska’s minimum wage is on track to top the charts. The $9 hourly rate that goes into effect in 2016 will equal about $10 an hour when adjusted for cost of living, which should make it the highest effective statewide minimum wage in the nation. The effective minimum wage is based on an analysis of state minimums and federal cost-of-living data from 2012, the most recent year for which data are available…”
Tag: Employers
Involuntary Part-Time Employment
Part-time jobs put millions in poverty or close to it, By Patrick Gillespie, November 20, 2014, CNNMoney: “Seven million Americans are stuck in part-time jobs. They are unable to get full-time work and the benefits and stability that come with it. It’s a constant struggle for these families and a worrying sign for America’s recovery. Overall U.S. unemployment has fallen steeply in the past year (from 7.2% in October 2013 to 5.8% in October 2014), but too many people can only find part-time positions. The number of people working part-time involuntarily is more than 50% higher than when the recession began…”
State Minimum Wages
Small business in Illinois, four other states, divided over minimum wage votes, By Joyce M. Rosenberg (AP), October 29, 2014, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Workers in five states, including Illinois, could get a raise after Election Day. Some small business owners say raising the minimum wage will pressure their companies, forcing them to cut employees’ hours or jobs. Others say it’s the right thing to do for workers and the economy. In addition to Illinois, minimum wage referendums are on Tuesday’s ballots in Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota, where minimums range from $6.25 to $8.25 an hour. Some small business owners say raising the minimum wage will force them to cut employees’ hours or jobs. Higher minimums were already approved this year in 10 states, the District of Columbia and Seattle…”