-
Minimum Wage Hikes are an Employment Barrier for Teens
June 2013 · Michael Saltsman · Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
Urban League President Marc Morial recently announced his organization’s support for an increase in the federal minimum wage to $10.10. Though Morial believes the higher wage will assist urban areas like Ft. Lauderdale that his organization represents, the evidence tells a different story of unintended consequences for the city’s vulnerable young adults who desperately need a job. Nationally, the unemployment rate for all teens has been above… -
The Summer of Nevada Teens’ Discontent
June 2013 · Michael Saltsman · Las Vegas Review-Journal
Nevada parents, prepare yourselves: With a 25.6 percent teen unemployment rate heading into the summer of 2013, your jobless kids might be making frequent withdrawals from the Bank of Mom & Dad for their vacation spending cash. There are a number of factors at work. More competition from older jobseekers, for instance, has put young and inexperienced applicants at a competitive disadvantage. But also at fault are… -
On Wage Mandates, the Devil’s in the Details
May 2013 · Michael Saltsman · Orange County Register
After backing three failed attempts to raise the California minimum wage in the last two years, California Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D-Salinas) has finally caught a break. A party-line vote in the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee last week ensured that Alejo’s proposal will have its day before the Democrat-dominated legislative body before the month is out. The California minimum wage currently stands at $8 an hour, and Alejo would… -
Minimum Wage Hikes Cost Teens Jobs
May 2013 · Michael Saltsman · San Antonio Express-News
Texas parents, prepare yourselves: With a 21.8 percent teen unemployment rate heading into the summer, your jobless kids might be making frequent withdrawals from the Bank of Mom & Dad. A number of factors are at work: More competition from older jobseekers, for instance, has put young applicants at a competitive disadvantage. But also at fault is a series of ill-conceived minimum wage mandates at the state and federal… -
The ‘Fight for $15’ is a job killer
April 2013 · Michael Saltsman · Chicago Tribune
When the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago initiated last week’s strikes at the city’s fast-food and retail outlets, the protesters rallied around the cry “Fight for $15” — that is, a minimum wage that’s almost double Illinois’ current $8.25. WOCC’s rhetoric is aimed at employers and “rich executives,” but what it doesn’t realize is that its fight isn’t with management — it’s with price-conscious consumers. A $15… -
Minimum wage: Credible Studies Show Raising it Costs Jobs
April 2013 · Michael Saltsman · San Jose Mercury News
This week, a bill from California Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D-Salinas) to raise the state minimum wage to $9.25 will receive a hearing in the legislature’s Labor and Employment committee. His proposal, like a federal $10.10 minimum wage bill promoted on these pages recently by Rep. George Miller (D-CA), would index the minimum wage to rise with inflation. It’s a policy that’s more than just unnecessary. It would…