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Ohio minimum wage hike threatens summer jobs
April 2016 · Michael Saltsman · Lima News
Scooping ice cream. Flipping burgers. Keeping watch at the local swimming pool. These jobs have defined teens’ summer employment opportunities for generations. President Barack Obama recently recalled the lessons he learned working in an ice-cream shop as a young man and called on other employers to “create summer job opportunities for young people who need them.” It’s a worthwhile goal — with one problem: Who’s going to… -
How bold a move is a $15 minimum wage?
April 2016 · Michael Saltsman · OC Register
Love it or hate it, reporters and commentators agreed on this: California’s $15 minimum wage, signed into law this week by Gov. Jerry Brown, is unprecedented. Or is it? Advocates for the policy at a far-left Seattle think tank made the contrarian case that California’s rising minimum wage is entirely consistent with our past experience. As evidence, they compare the Golden State’s coming 50 percent wage increase… -
A Stiff Jab at Flexible Work Schedules
March 2016 · Michael Saltsman · Wall Street Journal
Labor unions in California won’t be taking a break after their victory Monday, when legislators and Gov. Jerry Brown announced a tentative deal to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022. Another economically destructive campaign is already under way: Unions want lawmakers to dictate how businesses schedule employees’ work. The idea first gained traction in San Francisco when a coalition of labor unions… -
$15 wage will become $0 for some low-end workers
March 2016 · Michael Saltsman · OC Register
Proponents of a higher minimum wage in California have gathered enough signatures to put a $15 minimum wage to a vote in November. It’s good news for unions, but what does it mean for Californians who are uniquely unqualified for basics tasks of the working world? The National Center for Education Statistics recently released a report that takes a closer look at this segment of the working-age… -
Nothing reasonable about big jump in minimum wage: Guest commentary
March 2016 · Michael Saltsman · LA Daily News
In a recent guest commentary, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez refers to California’s $15 minimum wage proposal as a “reasonable, measured approach.” Let’s be clear: There’s nothing reasonable or measured about a 50 percent increase in entry-level labor costs. That much is clear when taking a closer look at the congresswoman’s arguments. Sanchez begins by suggesting that paying a few more cents for your burger or fries will allow businesses… -
Proposed $12 minimum wage would cost jobs
March 2016 · Michael Saltsman · Lewiston Sun Journal
Proponents of a higher minimum wage in Maine, led by the state AFL-CIO, have gathered enough signatures to put a proposed $12 minimum wage initiative to a vote this November. But does the proposed 60 percent increase in the state’s minimum wage, from $7.50 to $12 per hour by 2020, go too far too fast? Last year, residents of Portland rejected a similar wage increase based on…