Democratic Primaries

TexasTowelie

(112,422 posts) Fri Apr 26, 2019, 07:09 PM Apr 2019

Hickenlooper proposing staggered federal minimum wage hikes

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper is proposing a $15 federal minimum wage — with a twist.

Rather than unilaterally hiking the wage to $15, the former Colorado governor proposes phasing in the increases depending on an area’s cost of living. The most expensive quarter of the country would get a $15 minimum wage by 2021, and the least expensive would see that hike in 2024.

The plan, disclosed to The Associated Press on Friday, proposes then tying future minimum wage hikes to metro areas’ cost of living so that more expensive areas would see their minimum wages continue to rise.

Several Democrats have signed onto a $15 national minimum wage, a key priority of union leaders. Hickenlooper, who founded a small chain of brewpubs and restaurants and likes to tout his business experience on the campaign trail, has cautioned that that level will be too low in certain expensive urban areas but possibly too high in lower-cost rural ones.

Read more: https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/ap_news/politics/hickenlooper-proposing-staggered-federal-minimum-wage-hikes/article_64cf8362-9877-50f3-86cf-0982361a4f12.html

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

3 replies

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Hickenlooper proposing staggered federal minimum wage hikes (Original Post) TexasTowelie Apr 2019 OP

Well he has a point, but I don't see how staggering helps. marylandblue Apr 2019 #1

Too complicated for most voters, I think. MH1 Apr 2019 #2

In the states that have raised the minmum wage Buzz cook Apr 2019 #3

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)

1. Well he has a point, but I don't see how staggering helps.

Reply to TexasTowelie (Original post)

Fri Apr 26, 2019, 07:20 PM

Apr 2019

Why not set the minimum wage based on cost of living starting in 2021? Maybe some places get more than $15, and others less?

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

MH1

(17,600 posts)

2. Too complicated for most voters, I think.

Reply to TexasTowelie (Original post)

Fri Apr 26, 2019, 07:51 PM

Apr 2019

It may not seem complicated to you or me, but trust me, it doesn't take much to befuddle (and therefore turn off) a large swath of voters.

K.I.S.S.

I also understand the technical rationale. But too bad. We may have to find another way to deal with the disparities in cost of living. We just can't make this too complicated for the average voter, or nothing gets done.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Buzz cook

(2,474 posts)

3. In the states that have raised the minmum wage

Reply to TexasTowelie (Original post)

Fri Apr 26, 2019, 09:22 PM

Apr 2019

Those raises were incremental and in rural areas of the states the minimum remained lower than $15.

The reasoning was that they didn't want to shock small employers and that the cost of living was lower in rural areas so a full raise wasn't justified.

But if we're talking about a national raise then can we ask is justice delayed justice denied? Don't we have to treat all citizens equally no matter where they live?

And that leads to another question. If the minimum wage had kept up with costs, then it would already be in the $15 range. The minimum wage has been held at a too low level at least since the 1980s. So raising it to where it should be will be a big bite. But why should workers pay the price for that bite? Shouldn't employers who have benefited from an artificially low minimum wage be the ones that "suffer" from right sizing it?

On edit: If we want to buffer small employers then there are other remdies than delaying the raise in the minimum wage. Why aren't they being proposed?

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

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