Minimum wage could reach $15 in Seattle, A movement that is pushing to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour is gaining traction in Seattle as city council officials debate the issue.
The issue comes after last month's strike in which thousands of fast food workers left their posts in the middle of their shifts to demand higher wages.
The state of Washington, however, already has the nation's highest hourly minimum wage sitting at $9.19 while the rest of the country still relies on the $7.25 an hour rate set in July of 2009.
According to Business Insider the current U.S. minimum wage doesn't look so bad when compared to other countries'. In a report published Tuesday by International Labor Comparisons (ILC) the company claimed that the minimum wage discussion in America is "misdirected."
"After taking a more in-depth look at the ILC, it became clear that the minimum wage debate is misdirected -- among both the workers demanding higher wages and the politicians struggling to determine the minimum wage," write the strategists in the report. "Simply put, the problem is not wages: it's total compensation -- that is, wages and benefits."
The report suggested that the problem does not lie in the hourly rate paid to employees but in the fact that it is all they are getting.
"The issue of low benefits-related compensation is compounded for minimum-wage workers," says the ConvergEx team. "Just a brief glance at fast-food giants' employment websites gives an idea of what employees might expect: medical insurance*, drug coverage*, dental*, vision*, short-term disability*, life insurance*, 401k*, paid holidays and vacation*. The *, of course, is followed by 'subject to availability and eligibility.' I.e., not likely."
According to Denny's (DENN) CEO John Miller the thing about the fast-food industry is that it is able to provide a very large amount of entry level positions, a condition that is not shared by companies in other fields. He adds that even though employees might not make much in the beginning, the chances to advance within a company are much higher.
“This industry should be the poster child for how it ought to work because we give people a place to start,” Miller told Breakout, later adding that if the conditions offered by Denny's aren't enough for a worker, perhaps a job in the fast food industry isn't the right fit.
The issue comes after last month's strike in which thousands of fast food workers left their posts in the middle of their shifts to demand higher wages.
The state of Washington, however, already has the nation's highest hourly minimum wage sitting at $9.19 while the rest of the country still relies on the $7.25 an hour rate set in July of 2009.
According to Business Insider the current U.S. minimum wage doesn't look so bad when compared to other countries'. In a report published Tuesday by International Labor Comparisons (ILC) the company claimed that the minimum wage discussion in America is "misdirected."
"After taking a more in-depth look at the ILC, it became clear that the minimum wage debate is misdirected -- among both the workers demanding higher wages and the politicians struggling to determine the minimum wage," write the strategists in the report. "Simply put, the problem is not wages: it's total compensation -- that is, wages and benefits."
The report suggested that the problem does not lie in the hourly rate paid to employees but in the fact that it is all they are getting.
"The issue of low benefits-related compensation is compounded for minimum-wage workers," says the ConvergEx team. "Just a brief glance at fast-food giants' employment websites gives an idea of what employees might expect: medical insurance*, drug coverage*, dental*, vision*, short-term disability*, life insurance*, 401k*, paid holidays and vacation*. The *, of course, is followed by 'subject to availability and eligibility.' I.e., not likely."
According to Denny's (DENN) CEO John Miller the thing about the fast-food industry is that it is able to provide a very large amount of entry level positions, a condition that is not shared by companies in other fields. He adds that even though employees might not make much in the beginning, the chances to advance within a company are much higher.
“This industry should be the poster child for how it ought to work because we give people a place to start,” Miller told Breakout, later adding that if the conditions offered by Denny's aren't enough for a worker, perhaps a job in the fast food industry isn't the right fit.
