[dewilson58]

First step was McDonald's to automate burgers and eliminate staff.

Starbuckies automated coffee making, resulted in eliminatng staff.

Now Sam's Club is automating pizza making and eliminating staff.

Sounds great to raise minimum wage rates, but there are consequences.

[[email protected]]

There ALWAYS is.

[margaretmattson]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

First step was McDonald's to automate burgers and eliminate staff.

Starbuckies automated coffee making, resulted in eliminatng staff.

Now Sam's Club is automating pizza making and eliminating staff.

Sounds great to raise minimum wage rates, but there are consequences.

The minimum wage went up a few dollars but the price of groceries increased more than the wages. IMO, they should have left well enough alone. The result is more loss than gain.

[Stu from NYC]

Once upon a time minimum wage was an entry level position that workers should look to go up from.

Good intentions sometimes come with a cost.

[justjim]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

First step was McDonald's to automate burgers and eliminate staff.

Starbuckies automated coffee making, resulted in eliminatng staff.

Now Sam's Club is automating pizza making and eliminating staff.

Sounds great to raise minimum wage rates, but there are consequences.

AI is going to eliminate a lot more.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Once upon a time minimum wage was an entry level position that workers should look to go up from.

Good intentions sometimes come with a cost.

Once upon a time minimum wage was created to provide workers a living wage, assuming they were working full time jobs.

Someone working a full time job at minimum wage now, would not be earning a living wage.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Once upon a time minimum wage was created to provide workers a living wage, assuming they were working full time jobs.

Someone working a full time job at minimum wage now, would not be earning a living wage.

That person should be looking for a better job not being satisfied with where they are.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

The minimum wage went up a few dollars but the price of groceries increased more than the wages. IMO, they should have left well enough alone. The result is more loss than gain.

The Florida minimum wage increased by $1 or 7%. According to the BLS, groceries increased about 2.5%.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

That person should be looking for a better job not being satisfied with where they are.

Absolutely. But people have to start somewhere. And if that somewhere is a full-time minimum wage job, then that job should be a living wage. Theoretically. According to the whole reason minimum wage was implemented in the first place.

[justjim]

Originally Posted by margaretmattson

The minimum wage went up a few dollars but the price of groceries increased more than the wages. IMO, they should have left well enough alone. The result is more loss than gain.

In fairness, the raises in the minimum wage had very little to do with the recent costs of groceries, gasoline and etc. IMHO.

[Normal]

Microsoft is shedding 60,000 employees thanks to Ai.

[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

First step was McDonald's to automate burgers and eliminate staff.

Starbuckies automated coffee making, resulted in eliminatng staff.

Now Sam's Club is automating pizza making and eliminating staff.

Sounds great to raise minimum wage rates, but there are consequences.

Market forces always win out. The government can try to manipulate markets, but it never works.

[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Once upon a time minimum wage was created to provide workers a living wage, assuming they were working full time jobs.

Someone working a full time job at minimum wage now, would not be earning a living wage.

Once upon a time, the government thought it could manipulate labor costs. So they created minimum wages. Then, as a result of paying above market rates for labor, prices had to be increased. So consumers had to pay more for everything, and now needed more income to cover the higher prices. So then the government had to raise minimum wage to create a new "living wage". Rinse and repeat ad infinitum. How's that working out?

[jimhoward]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Once upon a time minimum wage was created to provide workers a living wage, assuming they were working full time jobs.

Someone working a full time job at minimum wage now, would not be earning a living wage.

When was minimum wage a living wage?

My first job was in 1970 and paid the minimum wage, which at that time was $1.75/hour (in Massachusetts). You could not live on $70/week in 1970. I was a dependent kid, so didn't care. Fast forward to the present time, where the minimum wage in Florida is $15/hr ($10.95 for tipped employees). You cannot live on $600/week.....but its almost feasible. Was there a time in the middle that I am forgetting about when the minimum wage was a living wage?

[jimhoward]

The minimum wage is a little game we play. For the most part, it just goes up with inflation. We set it a little bit above what the market rate would be for unskilled labor. That helps unskilled workers, and reduces the extent to which some workers are exploited. It also stimulates inflation (but by less than some imagine), and stimulates efforts to automate and eliminate labor costs (which will happen anyway). Then inflation marches on and low wage workers get further behind, so we boost the minimum wage again. And so it goes.