7/12/11,
Minimum wage hikes contribute to teen unemployment
Between the 40% hike in the federal minimum wage between 2007 and 2009 and more recent state- and city-level increases across the country, teens get cut out of the loop when the wage floor goes up.
4/13/11,
Who Really Makes the Minimum Wage?
Minimum wage increases enjoy broad support because voters think they help the working poor. What most don't realize is that nearly 50 percent of those in Indiana who benefited from the last federal minimum wage increase were either teenagers or others living with parents or relatives. Only one in six minimum wage beneficiaries was a single mother.
3/2/11,
Raising A Touchy Subject
Perhaps we can sacrifice a few minimum wage jobs if we're raising people out of poverty, right? Wrong: 28 states increased their federal minimum wage above the federal level between 2003 and 2007, yet award-winning research in the Southern Economic Journal shows that these increases had no effect on poverty rates.
1/31/11,
EITC vs. Minimum Wage: Where Should Advocates Place Their Bets?
One of the unintended consequences of minimum wage increases is a reduction in employment among
low-skilled workers. A comprehensive survey of two decades of studies on the minimum wage has
revealed that 85 percent of the best studies on the subject point to job losses following federal and state increases in the minimum wage.
1/18/11,
EITC vs. Minimum Wage: Where Should Advocates Place Their Bets?
Increases to the minimum wage are not well-targeted to low-income families. They result in job losses for employees lacking in experience and – worst of all – they provide a false sense of accomplishment with regard to the hard work of poverty reduction. Instead of focusing on the minimum wage, policymakers should focus on what we know works well, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
1/6/11,
Government Wage Keeps Teens Out Of Work
Joseph J. Sabia of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point looked at state and federal minimum-wage increases between 1997 and 2007 and found that each 10 percent increase in the minimum wage in a state corresponded with a combined drop of employment for 16- to 19-year-olds of 3.6 percent.
1/6/11,
A Consensus In Favor Of Wage Mandates?
While it's true there are a few big names among the 665, you can find outspoken contrarians in any academic field. The simple fact of the matter is that their opinion on the topic of minimum wage increases and the impact they have on employment is both out of the mainstream and out of line with the studies on the subject. Hence the padding of this list with so many economists without a background in labor economics.
1/2/11,
The Job Market For Teens Is Terrible
These job losses shouldn't come as a surprise: Increasing labor costs decreases demand for that labor. Given customer resistance to higher prices, traditional teen employers like restaurants are forced to make do with less labor by introducing self-service or more automation. The least-skilled workers are the first to go, and who has fewer skills than teenagers? These are workers who almost by definition have never had a chance to accumulate workplace skills.
12/22/10,
Minimum-Wage Grinch Stole Holiday Jobs
As kids come home for the holidays, remember that they need a shot at entry-level employment to grow into responsible adults — and that a future hike in the minimum wage could keep them from that chance.
12/22/10,
New Study: Minimum Wage Increases Hurt Vermont’s Economy
A new study from labor economist Dr. Joseph J. Sabia (United States Military Academy at West Point) suggests that increases in the minimum wage have a negligible effect of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the overall economy--and can actually have a negative effect on the GDP generated by certain low-skilled industries.
12/22/10,
The Grinch That Stole Holiday Jobs
Raising labor costs forces these businesses to either raise prices or cut costs. Holiday bargain-shoppers aren't willing to shoulder the former, so employers are forced to cut back on customer service and the number of people they employ.
12/21/10,
How the Minimum Wage Grinch Stole Christmas Jobs
Raising labor costs forces these businesses to either raise prices or cut costs. Holiday bargain shoppers aren’t willing to shoulder the former, so employers are forced to cut back on customer service and the number of people they employ.
12/19/10,
The Truth About Minimum-Wage Hikes
Facts are stubborn things, and the reduction in employment that follows increases in the minimum wage is one of the most stubborn. No matter how activists wish to spin it, increasing the cost of labor decreases the demand for that labor. It's Econ 101.
12/18/10,
How the Minimum-Wage Grinch Stole Christmas Jobs
But a bad situation was made worse by Congress' 40 percent increase in the federal minimum wage between July 2007 and July 2009. A recent study by economists David Macpherson and William Even found the "raise" priced more than 114,000 teens out of a job.
12/18/10,
How the Minimum Wage Grinch Stole Christmas Jobs
But a bad situation was made worse by Congress' 40 percent increase in the federal minimum wage between July 2007 and July 2009. A recent study by economists David Macpherson and William Even found that the "raise" priced more than 114,000 teens out of a job.
12/17/10,
The Minimum-Wage Grinch Stole Christmas Jobs
Raising labor costs forces these businesses to either raise prices or cut costs. Holiday bargain-shoppers aren't willing to shoulder the former, so employers are forced to cut back on customer service and the number of people they employ.
12/16/10,
Higher Minimum Wage Costs Teens Holiday Season Jobs
Raising labor costs forces these businesses to either raise prices or cut costs. Holiday bargain shoppers aren’t willing to shoulder the former, so employers are forced to cut back on customer service and the number of people they employ.
12/1/10,
High Minimum Wage Means High Teen Unemployment
New research from Walter Wessels (North Carolina State University) and Nicole Coomer (Workers Compensation Research Institute), sponsored by the Employment Policies Institute, finds that employment losses in response to a minimum-wage increase are particularly large for teens working jobs that pay the minimum wage.
11/21/10,
Teens Will Have A Hard Time Finding Jobs This Holiday Season
Employers who utilize minimum-wage labor tend to have razor-thin profit margins. Macy's for instance -- a giant in the world of holiday shopping -- sees less than 3 cents in net profit for every dollar of revenue. Raising labor costs forces these businesses to either raise prices or cut costs. Holiday bargain-shoppers aren't willing to shoulder the former, so employers are forced to cut back on customer service and the number of people they employ.
11/20/10,
The 'Living Wage' Lie
Economists' core argument against a higher minimum wage is a simple one: When the government (be it city, state or federal) makes it more expensive to hire and train less-skilled employees like teenagers, employers figure out how to make do with fewer (or different) people.
11/12/10,
Can Ohioans Afford A Lousy 10 Cents?
States like Ohio with expensive minimum-wage laws choke off valuable alternatives for teens whose skills don't justify the state's high-entry wage -- which helps explain why the state's teen unemployment rate is averaging a staggering 23.3 percent.
11/6/10,
Is It Time To Rethink The Minimum Wage?
The economics of the matter are simple: Increases to the minimum wage destroy entry level, minimum wage jobs — jobs that are largely filled by less-experienced workers like teenagers.
11/2/10,
Can Arizonans Afford A Lousy 10 Cents?
Also hurting matters is the fact that Arizona’s minimum wage is already well above the national level. A recent study commissioned by the Employment Policies Institute by Drs. Walter Wessels (North Carolina State University) and Nicole Coomer (Workers Compensation Research Institute) found that a mere 10 percent increase in the minimum wage corresponds to a drop in employment for 16-to-19-year-olds in minimum wage jobs of 11.1 percent.
10/22/10,
Can Washingtonians Afford a Lousy Twelve Cents?
States like Washington with expensive minimum wage laws choke off valuable alternatives for teens whose skills don’t justify the state’s high entry wage – which helps explain why the state’s teen unemployment rate is averaging a staggering 33.5 percent.
10/21/10,
Can Oregonians Afford A Lousy 10 Cents?
Also hurting matters is the fact that Oregon's minimum wage is already well above the national level. A recent study commissioned by the Employment Policies Institute by Drs. Walter Wessels (North Carolina State University) and Nicole Coomer (Workers Compensation Research Institute) found that a mere ten percent increase in the minimum wage corresponds to a drop in employment for 16-to-19-year-olds in minimum wage jobs of 11.1 percent.
9/28/10,
What About the Lost Generation of Unemployed Youth?
Research backs this up; a new study by economists Walter Wessels and Nicole Coomer shows that businesses that aren’t covered by wage statutes act as a buffer for less-experienced teens that are priced out of a job by a higher minimum wage.
Employers are more inclined to take a chance on a new, untrained worker if their labor costs are less and with that, teens get their foot in the door and gain valuable career building experience. Everyone wins.
7/31/10,
Roll Back Minimum Wage, Watch Teens Get Jobs
But when the minimum wage is arbitrarily hiked by the federal government, businesses are faced with a dilemma. They can justify paying the higher cost of labor only for employees who have a larger set of skills. Instead of paying teens to do menial work, business owners will shed labor wherever they can find new ways to automate or integrate self-service.
7/28/10,
Minimum Wage Indexing will Push More Teens to the Unemployment Line
So when the Legislature proposes raising the minimum wage, it’s important to know the measure by and large won’t boost the paychecks of the low-income families it’s intended to help. What indexing the minimum wage to inflation does do, however, is raise the teen unemployment rate by decimating entry-level job opportunities.
7/23/10,
'Living Wage' Kills Jobs
"Living Wages" come laden with unintended consequences that could hamstring Baltimore’s labor market for years to come.
7/20/10,
Jobless Michigan Teens Can Thank the Minimum Wage Hike
Though economic prospects have never been particularly rosy for those lacking a high school education, these numbers have skyrocketed since April 2007, up from 20 percent and 37.8 percent, respectively. So why the huge spike in joblessness?
The "Great Recession" certainly hasn't done anyone any favors. But something else happened between 2007 and 2009: a 40 percent increase in the federal minimum wage.
7/19/10,
A Tip Credit is Better Policy Than Politics
Instead of suggesting economically illiterate plans that will do damage to an already-shaky economy, why not compromise? Introduce a tip credit but grandfather in those who are already employed so they don't feel its effects. Or introduce a tip credit the next time the state minimum wage is hiked so businesses aren't hit with punishing new costs yet again and jobs won't be lost.
7/9/10,
It’s Hard Out There for a Teen, Especially in California
If labor costs keep going up, these jobs are going to disappear permanently. Automation will continue to replace unskilled teenage workers looking for their first job in industries with razor thin profit margins like restaurants.
7/8/10,
Increase In Minimum Wage Kills Jobs
Though enacted with the best of intentions, minimum wage increases come with a raft of unintended consequences -- like the hastening of the BurgerTron 3000 -- that only hurt those they are intended to help. The government's response to joblessness shouldn't be to make it harder to come by jobs.
7/4/10,
It’s Hard Out There for a Teen, Especially in Alabama
After a 40 percent increase in the federal minimum wage between July of 2007 and July of 2009 – and additional hikes at the state level – it was only a matter of time before the most vulnerable among us were hit with job losses.
6/26/10,
Everyone Out Of The Pool
Our pool plight is a symptom of a larger sickness, namely the difficulty teenagers are having finding work in an incredibly tight labor market. It’s hard for businesses to justify paying these higher rates for young, unskilled employees. The painful result? Fewer are hired.
6/23/10,
Public Pools Becoming Rare
Our pool plight is a symptom of a larger sickness, namely the difficulty teenagers are having finding work in an incredibly tight labor market. It’s hard for businesses to justify paying these higher rates for young, unskilled employees. The painful result? Fewer are hired.
6/18/10,
Minimum Wage, Swimming Pools And Teen Jobs
In California, where the minimum wage is even higher than the federally mandated minimum, local governments are also feeling the pinch. The Wave Waterpark in Vista operates in part because of a subsidy from the city. That subsidy has risen to more than half a million dollars in the last several years. Once again, increases to the minimum wage can be blamed: Past hikes in California’s wage have increased the park’s labor costs by $250,000, according to the park’s manager.
5/28/10,
Valuable Job Experience
Right now, thousands of young graduates would love to work for free, and thousands of companies are willing to open their doors and spend time and resources training and mentoring. But with summer approaching and internship opportunities drying up, it's more likely those young people will instead resort to low-paying jobs for which they are overqualified.
5/28/10,
To the high school class of 2010 . . .
The double-whammy of a great recession
and a huge increase in the minimum wage has done you teenagers no favors. From July 2007 to July 2009, the federal minimum wage spiked 40 percent. That means less work for less- experienced teens, because it's more expensive for a business to hire and train you.
5/28/10,
Does Minimum Wage Kill Jobs?
The minimum wage is hardly the only cause of the unemployment crisis but it is a cause. This much is certain: the economic recovery is going to come from entrepreneurs and small business hiring new workers, not from pundits and bureaucrats telling the private sector what to do.
5/21/10,
Without Internships, Oprah Might Not Be A Mogul
A common misconception is that unpaid interns provide "free" labor. But for a business, each intern costs real money to train and supervise. If the Labor Department tacks on a few thousand dollars in pay, it will no doubt convince many employers that interns just aren't worth the trouble.
5/18/10,
Understanding Lost Jobs
That’s not to say the minimum wage is the sole factor behind the unemployment crisis – but it is a factor. And while no one can predict what next month’s jobs report is going to say, I do know this: the economic recovery is going to come from entrepreneurs and small business hiring new workers, not from pundits and bureaucrats telling the private sector what to do.
5/14/10,
Outlook Bleak For Teen Summer Jobs
Let's lower the minimum wage for teenagers. Instead of forcing employers to pay an untrained, untested employee an inflated wage, give employers more freedom to evaluate how much someone with less experience and fewer work skills is worth.
5/13/10,
What Lies Behind Lost Jobs
The minimum wage is hardly the only cause of the unemployment crisis — but it is a cause. This much is certain: The economic recovery is going to come from entrepreneurs and small businesses hiring new workers, not from pundits and bureaucrats telling the private sector what to do. And the sooner we can get government out of the way, the faster we can move ahead.
5/12/10,
Playing Video Games No Substitute For Teen Jobs
An Employment Policies Institute analysis of BLS data found that it's taking these unemployed teens far longer to land a job; over the last three years, there's been a 174 percent increase in the percentage of teens looking for a job for six months or more.
5/10/10,
Teenager Looking For Summer Work? Good Luck
A deeper look at the numbers suggests things are even worse. An Employment Policies Institute analysis of the bureau’s data found that it’s taking these unemployed teens far longer to land a job; over the last three years, there’s been a 174 percent increase in the percentage of teens looking for a job for six months or more.
12/30/09,
Minimum Wage Doesn't Help The Poor
It's the law of unintended consequences. The minimum wage affects employers who largely hire from the entry-level work force. This year's wage increase of 25 cents an hour translates to $10,000 in annual costs for a business with 20 minimum-wage employees.
12/25/09,
Holiday Season Hits Jobless Mich. Teens Hard
In early 2007, Congress believed the emotional argument that poor families would benefit from a 40 percent increase in the federal minimum wage. Because the economy seemed stable, politicians rejected the decades of economic research that showed minimum wage hikes cause declines in the employment of vulnerable groups, particularly high school drop outs, and minority teens.
12/24/09,
Employment: Colorado Teens Hit Hard This Holiday
In the midst of economic turmoil and a deep recession, Congress ignored the pleas of economists and allowed the third of three planned hikes to the federal minimum wage to go into effect in July.
12/23/09,
Rise In Minimum Wage Added To Teens' Burdens
Instead of helping poor working Americans, Congress's minimum wage hike made it more difficult for employers to hire and train low-skilled workers who rely on entry-level jobs to get started in the work force. In a difficult economy, employers often absorb new labor costs by cutting positions and staff hours.
11/12/09,
Health Bill’s Just Bad Business
As the cost of employee benefits increase, employers have to compensate elsewhere - usually in the form of lower wages. However, for those employees whose wages are already very low, there’s very little room to offset the cost of health care.
10/31/09,
State's minimum wage reveals reality
Colorado has taken an important first step to lessen future consequences; by decreasing the minimum wage to account for inflation, they`ve shown a willingness to recognize economic realities.
10/31/09,
Offer health care reform we can afford
The national debate over health care reform has ground to a halt, with both sides deadlocked over the scale and expense of potential government intervention.
8/9/09,
Minimum wage hike: What’s next?
No matter what your age, if you don’t have a solid work history, the minimum wage hike is going to hurt you more than it will help. The July 24 minimum wage hike will only prolong the nation’s affliction with high unemployment — hurting job prospects for our most vulnerable workers and denying teens the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job training.
8/1/09,
Minimum Wage Hike: What’s Next?
No matter what your age, if you don’t have a solid work history, the minimum wage hike is going to hurt you more than it will help. The July 24 minimum wage hike will only prolong the nation’s affliction with high unemployment – hurting job prospects for our most vulnerable workers and denying teens the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job training this summer.
7/21/09,
Freeze the Summer Minimum Wage Hike
Congress should freeze the July 24 minimum wage increase – saving jobs for our most vulnerable workers and giving teens the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job training this summer. Increasing the minimum wage will only prolong the nation’s affliction with high unemployment.
7/17/09,
Upcoming minimum wage hike will destroy needed jobs
No matter what your age, if you don't have a solid work history, the minimum wage hike is going to hurt you more than it will help. Congress should freeze the July 24 minimum wage increase -- saving jobs for our most vulnerable workers and giving teens the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job training this summer. Increasing the minimum wage will only prolong the nation's affliction with high unemployment.
7/11/09,
Economy, minimum wage take a toll on teen jobs
Unfortunately, this summer many teens found the job market to be a difficult nut to crack and were denied the opportunity to learn valuable job skills that will make them more employable in the future.
New employment data released July 2 show just what economists (and parents of teenagers) feared — the bad economy and increasing federal minimum wage have had a disastrous effect on teens looking for summer jobs.
7/11/09,
Are summer jobs 'Going Out of Business'?
Unfortunately, this summer many West Virginia teens have found the job market to be a difficult nut to crack and were denied the opportunity to learn valuable job skills that will make them more employable in the future. New employment data released July 2 show just what economists (and parents of teenagers across the country) feared - the bad economy and increasing federal minimum wage have had a disastrous effect on teens looking for jobs this summer.
4/26/09,
My Summer Job Apocalypse
When the minimum wage climbs, employers seek out applicants with a job history because they are more likely to be worth the higher pay. Companies likely to take a chance on young workers become less interested in the higher costs for training. Being less experienced, teens are shut out of the job market, and the opportunity to learn those life lessons is delayed.
2/25/09,
Businesses can't afford an increase in minimum wage
It's a new economic reality in Wisconsin, and as the Legislature reconvenes, a minimum wage hike proposed for June is currently up for debate. But lawmakers should tread carefully: If history is any guide, inflating the wage rate is a move that will serve only to weaken small businesses and cause entry-level workers to lose their jobs.
2/20/09,
Minimum wage increases hurt the poor
An inflated wage rate does comparatively little to support poor families, whereas the injuries such policies inflict on small businesses are immediate and undeniable.
As unemployment rates rise across the nation, states should look for ways to keep people in jobs, instead of worsening the problem by inflating the minimum wage.
1/24/09,
Minimum Wage Indexing Costs Jobs
In states such as Florida, where minimum wage is tied to the Consumer Price Index, small-business owners are really feeling the pinch - and will steadily continue to feel the pinch going forward. Starting Jan. 1, small business owners across the state again had to increase their wages, even though the economy was in the toilet.
12/29/08,
Indexed wages slam businesses
In states, like Arizona, where minimum wage is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), small business owners are really feeling the pinch — and will steadily continue to feel the pinch going forward. Come Jan. 1, small business owners across the state will again have to increase their wages even though the economy is in the toilet.
12/22/08,
Raising Colorado’s minimum wage could have some unintended consequences
In August, eight small-business owners filed suit to prevent Gov. Bill Ritter from enforcing Amendment 42, the legislation that has linked the minimum wage to inflation since 2006. The plaintiffs said because of the amendment, they’ve been forced to raise prices, decrease staff hours, lay off workers, and downsize or eliminate employee benefits altogether.
7/24/08,
Good intentions don't make good policy
Instead of improving the economy, a minimum wage mandate makes it worse.
And at a time when many families are struggling to stay afloat, a new wave of minimum wage hikes is the last thing we need. Unfortunately, that's exactly what we're getting.
7/2/08,
Dude: Where's My Summer Job
This year, it’s harder than ever for teens to find a summer job. One of the prime reasons for this drastic employment drought is the mandated wage hikes that policymakers have forced down the throats of local businesses.
6/18/08,
Minimum wage hurts teen job-seekers
The classic summer jobs - cashier, waiter, grocery clerk - can help an employer with increased service or make up for full-time employees who take vacations. When the minimum wage gets boosted, however, employers cut down on hiring teens that typically fill lower-priority slots.
6/13/08,
A plan to batter Rhode Island's Economy
Forcing businesses to pay more for employees every year is going to have the same effect as forcing them to pay more for anything else: They’ll find alternatives (higher-skill workers, automation, outsourcing), spend less (firings, reduced hours), or move their business someplace else.
1/7/08,
Cap on payday loans would hurt those most in need
Though well-intentioned, proposed legislation capping interest rates at 36 percent per year would kill the payday lending industry in Virginia. Ironically, this removes the best option above but leaves the others.
1/4/08,
Minimum wage is the wrong tool for social engineering
Misguided politicians and citizens in Ohio and elsewhere mandated wage increases because they mistake wages as a cause rather than the effect of the factors that lead to greater income. It is as though we could force winter to begin by defoliating trees. The connection is backward.
11/9/07,
Fantasy Economics
In a fantasy-football world, everyone is a billionaire and your team never needs to practice. In a fantasy-economics world, the disadvantaged and the poorly skilled can be made richer and happier with wage floors and employer mandates. Although fantasy football has no impact on real football, fantasy economics is often turned into legislation.
10/15/07,
Pols Play, You Pay
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California state legislature’s Democratic leadership are knee-deep in their “special session” on health-care reform. If the rhetoric coming from Sacramento’s bigwigs is any indication, they aren’t just scrambling to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic — they’re blowing holes in the ship’s hull in the absurd hope of getting the water to leak out faster.
8/22/07,
Minimum wage hikes are killing teens' summer jobs
The classic summer jobs - cashier, restaurant waiter, grocery clerk - can help an employer with increased service or fill in for full-time employees taking vacations or sick leave. When the minimum wage gets boosted, however, employers hold off on hiring teens to fill those slots.
8/9/07,
No wonder it's tough for teens to get summer jobs
Economic research has shown time and again that increasing the minimum wage destroys jobs for low-skilled workers while doing little to address poverty. And testimony from employers across the country confirms that it wreaks havoc on the summer job market.
7/6/07,
A Raise Won't End Poverty
The facts haven't kept two powerful New York state legislators from trotting out the old myth that a minimum wage increase is a much-needed helping hand for the state’s poor.
5/29/07,
The Deathly Living Wage
The living wage recently re-emerged on the national stage when Maryland became the first state in the nation to pass wage-level requirements on all state contractors. And before you could say "slippery slope," living-wage advocates nationwide were calling on their local lawmakers to act likewise.
4/28/07,
New Hampshire's minimum wage hike will damage the economy
Given the adverse effects minimum wage hikes have had on other states, New Hampshire’s sudden support is surprising to say the least. News reports nationwide confirm what economists have been telling us for decades: the minimum wage hurts low-skilled, low-income workers -- the very people it’s purported to help.
8/5/06,
Raising minimum wage would lead to more job cuts
The federal government's recently released June jobs report paints a disturbing picture of the labor market, suggesting that despite strong economic growth overall, the skills divide -- and therefore the wage gap -- is widening.
7/28/06,
Minimum wage hikes hurt low-skilled workers
Entry-level positions often represent the only employment opportunity for those with limited education or high school dropouts — at least initially. But to even get a foot in the door, basic skills such as reading, writing and simple arithmetic are crucial.
7/10/06,
Good intent hits sour note
Right now the nation's complex problem is helping struggling families better provide for themselves. The simple solution is to raise the minimum wage. Unfortunately, good intentions are often trumped by the unintended consequences that have historically followed minimum wage hikes.
4/25/06,
Employers shouldn't be health care scapegoats
There are presently as many as seven competing health care bills under consideration in the California state legislature. In a positive development, only one of those involves mandated employer-provided health coverage. The others all reflect a shift toward seeking a comprehensive statewide solution, rather than a stopgap one driven by political expediency.
4/16/06,
Raising minimum wage not the answer
Ohio will face a ballot initiative in November to raise the minimum wage to $6.85 an hour and then indexed to inflation thereafter. But if a company is forced to raise wages, it will also be forced to reduce hours or cut jobs altogether in order to maintain a profit margin (companies without profits will soon be employing nobody).
4/15/06,
Raising minimum wage not the answer
According to David Macpherson, a Florida State University economist, a wage increase in Ohio would lead to the loss of almost 12,000 entry-level jobs and the economy would take a $308 million hit.
3/9/06,
Minimum wage hike? Maximum problems
According to David Macpherson, a Florida State University economist, a wage increase in Pennsylvania would lead to the loss of more than 10,000 entry-level jobs and the economy would take a $350 million hit.
3/9/06,
Minimum wage hike? Maximum problems
Legislators have a great opportunity during a special hearing March 21 and 22 to work toward developing an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in the commonwealth.
5/11/05,
Minimum Wage Increase Hurts Low-Income Families
Those with the least skills won’t benefit from a minimum wage increase if they’re shut out of the workforce. Instead of pushing for a minimum wage hike, Wisconsin legislators should be forging policies to help the needy without costing them their jobs.
4/22/05,
Hiking minimum wage: Be careful with wish
As Gov. Rendell and state legislators consider a proposal for a $7 an hour minimum wage, they should also bear in mind Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan's warning that such a move "prevents people who are at the early stages of their careers... from getting a foothold in the ladder of promotions."
4/12/05,
Minimum wage increase challenged
New Hampshire has a long tradition of marching to its own drummer. With so much at stake for the most vulnerable members of the state’s workforce, now isn’t the time for New Hampshire to start running with the herd.
4/6/05,
Wal-Mart bill would hurt low-skill, entry level workers
Frustrated by their inability to win key organizing battles, labor unions have turned their attention from the workplace to statehouses across the country. Their most recent target is the state of Maryland, where organized labor is pushing legislation mandating employer-paid health benefits they have been unable win at the negotiating table.
4/5/05,
Wage Hike Won't Work for Poor
Gov. Mitt Romney seems an unlikely candidate for Ted Kennedy's pinch hitter. Since the senator's efforts to raise the national minimum wage struck out in Congress, though, Romney has stepped into the batter's box to endorse proposals that would increase Massachusetts' minimum wage to more than 60 percent above the current federal rate with annual adjustments for inflation.
3/20/05,
Least-skilled workers lose with minimum-wage hike
Some lawmakers are hailing a proposed 39% increase in Pennsylvania’s minimum wage as a life preserver for employees struggling in a stormy economic sea. But Harrisburg’s minimum wage bill ensures that the thousands of low-skilled Pennsylvanians who need entry-level employment opportunities will find it even more difficult to stay afloat.
2/19/05,
Increasing minimum wage won't help jobless
Some lawmakers are hailing the proposed 36 percent increase in Minnesota's minimum wage as a life preserver for employees struggling in a stormy economic sea. But St. Paul's minimum wage bill ensures that the thousands of low-skilled Minnesotans who need entry-level employment opportunities will find it even more difficult to keep afloat.
2/18/05,
Raising minimum wage stands to hurt low-income workers
Yet that's exactly what the governor proposed. Falling back on policies forged in Depression-era America, Granholm called on legislators to increase Michigan's minimum wage by 39 percent. Lawmakers may still be promising a chicken in every pot, but raising the wage floor in today's economy will force many of Michigan's most vulnerable into the bread lines.
2/18/05,
Raising New Jersey's minimum wage is bad economic policy
Some lawmakers are hailing the proposed 39% increase in New Jersey’s minimum wage as a life preserver for employees struggling in a stormy economic sea. But Trenton’s “heroics” ensure that thousands of low-skilled New Jersey residents who need entry-level employment opportunities will find it even more difficult to stay afloat.
12/6/04,
Unintended Consequences
If it succeeds, New York's minimum wage will spike to nearly 39% over the federal rate by 2007. But instead of giving low-income New Yorkers an early Christmas gift, senators voting for the wage hike will be saddling them with a host of unintended consequences.
11/21/04,
Higher pay hurts prospects of people it claims to help
New Jersey appears set to raise its statewide minimum wage nearly 36 percent over the federal rate now that Senate President Richard J. Codey has become acting governor. Unfortunately, Trenton's pending wage law threatens the long-term economic prospects of the people it is intended to benefit.
10/27/04,
Free Lunch In Calif. Will Relegate Many to the Bread Lines
A ticking time bomb threatens to devastate the state of California. Powerful special interests watch impatiently as their plan nears fruition, while most everyone else goes about their business, unaware of the impending meltdown.
7/20/04,
Making More Pays Less
While the benefits of a minimum wage increase are not concentrated on low-income families, the costs certainly are
5/21/04,
Hurting poor in name of helping them
A minimum wage hike is wending its way through the Assembly, and it’s a whopper. There’s hope that sanity will prevail in Sacramento, as it did in March in New Hampshire, where legislators had the good sense to kill a similar effort. If it doesn’t, many low-skilled workers may not last at their jobs long enough to see their wages increase, or be able to find jobs at all.
10/30/03,
A truly rotten export
Governor Davis’ handiwork mandates that every California business with 20 or more full-time employees must provide employee health insurance. The cost, according to former UCLA professor Aaron Yelowitz, a nationally respected health and labor economist at the National Bureau of Economic Research, is a cool $11.4 billion a year.
9/1/03,
Minimum wage hikes cost the recipients
This Labor Day, America faces a profound choice over the fate of its low-skilled work force. We can follow a crowd of prominent Democrats including Howard Dean, John Kerry and Dick Gephardt, who are teaming up with Old Deal liberal warrior Sen. Edward Kennedy to promote an increase in the federal minimum wage by 29 percent. Or we can move forward on the path first established by President Bill Clinton when he bucked decades of Democratic Party tradition to sign the Welfare Reform Act of 1996.
7/30/03,
High Minimum Wage States Home To Most 'Black Spots'
While state legislators may believe that they are helping the poorest residents in their states by passing these laws, in reality they are locking the least skilled workers out of the labor force.
7/11/03,
S.F. businesses, residents oppose minimum wage hike
Cars carrying workers to new jobs in Oakland will follow the large trucks carrying what’s left of the city’s beleaguered business community to the friendlier confines of neighboring cities. The exodus will result from Gonzalez’s ill-conceived plan to hike the minimum wage to $8.50.