Monday, October 06, 2008

George and Linda want new wage ordinance.

Two candidates suggest raising minimum wage! I was kind of shocked that Frank and Polly were against such a modest bump. "It’s a great idea,” Jäger said, “but it’s a job killer.” But he did not justify his reasoning. In this case, I will just disagree. I feel a living wage ordinance would be a good idea. We can argue the amount all you want. I was encouraged and surprised to hear George go public that he paid his employees over $3 an hour over the minimum when he was a business owner, and he seemed able to stay in business.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, jobs that keep workers in penury are worth "saving"? I can just imagine Southern Plantation owners pleading that if slavery was abolished it would put all those people out of a position. Well, it was abolished, it did put them off the farm, and they're now better off for it.

What happened to all the local rhetoric of honoring the "hardworking families"?

Its really a slap in the face to workers. It says to them, "Your best efforts aren't worth properly feeding, clothing, and sheltering you and your children". Not to mention education and medical care.

Anonymous said...

Richard, I'm surprised that you take George's statement at face value. He uses the modifier 'average' to say it was $3 above. Someone should find some ex-employees and get the truth.

Anonymous said...

It's more than that Richard and you know it.

Unions fight for employee rights and opportunities. They don't fight for entitlements for the least productive. Your member will pay a lot more for products and services if George get's his way because he is actually saying. let's increases prices. None of your members make minimum wage and a minimum wage/living wage ordinance will not bring any new resources to the market....just higher prices.

It's simple economic theory. Raise the cost of doing business...raise the cost of goods for your members.

Isn't it a better idea to elevate the minimum wage workers to a point of skill and experience that they can be competitive for a better job?

Isn't that what your union and every other union is about? It's about creating opportunities and job protections that lead to bettering yourself for your family?

If you are content with a minimum wage, you have no business in a union. Regardless what George and Linda would impose on the businesses that take a chance on people's potential on the less-skilled end of he spectrum.

Isn't that why you have training programs?

It sounds good in a debate but has no validity in the real world. George is talking about a new welfare program for the unproductive.

With this crazy notion, you'll pay more for your Big macs and there will be no expansion of jobs, the economy or anything productive.

Anonymous said...

"George is talking about a new welfare program for the unproductive."

People who work 40 hours a week at a minimum wage job aren't productive? They're certainly producing wealth for someone!

Anonymous said...

And that's why you work yourself out of a min wage job 10:41.

Or haven't you figured that out yet?

Fred Mangels said...

Most business owners I know pay more than minimum wage, but they don't go around insisting others do the same.

No matter how you feel about minimum wage, raising it only in Eureka would be foolhardy. It would make Eureka less attractive to businesses seeking to locate in the county while making it more attractive to those who are only capable of making minimum wage.

What kind of people would you like to see moving into Eureka? Those who want to come here to start a business, or those that would come here just because we pay a higher minimum wage?

I'd suggest that even the minimum wage workers would want the business people coming here, not those competing for their minimum wage jobs.

Fred Mangels said...

As an aside, regarding unions and the minimum wage, I remember decades ago around the time I moved up here.

Seems to me it was the last time the minimum wage was raised I noted most unions seemed to be for that raise. Then, after the minimum wage was raised, there was a big longshoreman strike.

I remember watching the strikers on TV. One of the strikers was some longshoreman with a sign that read, "Minimum wage went up. What about our wages?". Something along that line, anyway.

Anonymous said...

The fake “progressive” Democrat Central Committee, the fake “working class” unions and the fake “activists” from Democracy Limited wouldn’t lift a finger to help make a living wage a reality in Eureka.

Thanks to George and Linda for showing far more bravery than any of these losers and taking a stand.

Anonymous said...

raising min. wage doesnt help at all. they did that here in oregon and everything else went up to offset it.

Anonymous said...

Here's 411. George is a steaming pile of c*#p. He never did a damn thing to make his wife's buisness a sucess and he never was a champion for those of us who worked there. You know that's true George. Say it ain't so chump and I'll mane manes. If youwere so progressive why did you cheap us on wages?

samoasoftball said...

2:02pm Did you really work for George?

Anonymous said...

Come on Richard, launch your snoopy investigative reporting with George's past employees like you did to get to the bottom of those union endorsements. If your lucky, Heraldo may pick up on it and won't call you wacky again.

Anonymous said...

"Your member will pay a lot more for products and services if George get's his way because he is actually saying. let's increases prices. None of your members make minimum wage and a minimum wage/living wage ordinance will not bring any new resources to the market....just higher prices."

While this might sound true, the person who wrote this doesn't understand the cost increases involved. They are small. Typically the cost of a minimum wage hike is about 1.5% overall. Businesses typically benefit as workers have more to spend and often must spend all they make. I strongly recommend people go to the www.ClarkAtkins.org/livingwage.php page and check the facts for themselves.

Anonymous said...

Polly Endert, the Republican, is running ads on the Rush Limbaugh radio station. Enough reason to send her packing.

Anonymous said...

12:24- Polly's running them on KSLG, KRED, and other stations dumb ass. It's called crossing over any perceived boundary to make a connection and get something done. It's called working with all people. George and Linda are unable to do this which is why they will lose. You're an angry, bitter progey. Voters sense the angry, bitter, and divisive candidates. Get used to Polly for another 4 years.