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What I've Been Reading This Week: Minimum Wage Edition


Before the next few weeks get very, very busy, I was able to spend most of the week in the office to catch up.  I read several articles that dealt with minimum wage issues from around the country.  Perhaps the most interesting article dealt with the impact that Seattle is experiencing after raising the minimum wage rate in the city to $15/hour.  Although this is just one study, it serves as a warning that a $15/hour minimum wage rate might not be the economic boon that some have suggested.

As always, below are a few articles that caught my eye this week.



A Closer Look at the Impact of Seattle's $15/Hour Minimum Wage Hike

The New York Post has taken a look at the impact that Seattle's implementation of a $15/hour minimum wage rate has had on employment in the city.  As the article notes, unemployment rates have gone up in the city with a loss of 10,000 jobs in just three months, over the past September, October, and November.  However, employment rates have gone up outside the city limits with an increase of 57,000 jobs.  Perhaps it is still too early to determine the impact that a $15/hour minimum wage rate will have on a broader scale...but this study lends itself to the argument that this type of minimum wage increase is in fact a job killer.


A $15/Hour Minimum Wage Rate in New York Could Be Catastrophic for Jobs

Tim Worstall over at Forbes has a well thought out take on the impact that a $15/hour minimum wage rate could have on jobs in the state.  According to a report cited by Worstall, while a $15/hour minimum wage rate would increase pay for nearly 3.2 million workers in the state by 2021, it would result in a decrease in nearly 65,000 jobs.  For minimum wage "wonks" who enjoy pouring through reports and crunching the numbers, this article is right up your ally.


Massive Amounts Have Been Spent to Advocate for $15/Hour Wage Rate in New York

As Jimmy Vielkind writes, a labor backed coalition that is working to help New York Governor Andrew Cuomo raise the minimum wage rate in the state to $15/hour has spent $1.72 million this year alone on the effort.  The article notes that much of this money has gone towards advertisements, town halls, rallies, and the infamous RV tour that the Governor went on earlier this year.  With the issue starting to become a focal point of the legislature in Albany, look for these types of groups to increase funding to raise support for the issue.  The only question is whether it will actually make a difference...and whether any groups that oppose an increase in the minimum wage fund an effort to stop it.

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