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St.Louis lowering minimum wage from $10 back to $7.70

Hell yeah, now everyone making the AMAZING WAGE of like 12$ wont get a raise or might even get a decrease because the floor is lower.
 

matthewuk

Member
In the UK the conservatives actually raised the minimum wage twice and then increased the amount you could earn before you had to pay tax. They reasoned that people may want to stay in work if it provides a much better standard of living over welfare. It's like they had a sudden flash of common sense!. Shame they then did something amazingly stupid and gambled on brexit.
 
He's a coward for not signing it too. At least own up to your own BS. Also, I like how Republicans love to advocate states rights but when it gets down to the city level, it's "fuck those liberal islands".

Their argument is that the Constitution says nothing about cities.

That's not entirely correct. The argument is that there is a state supremacy clause in Missouri (and probably in every state in the country), which is similar to the federal supremacy clause. Those clauses simply state that when there is a conflict of laws (here, the state's law on minimum wage versus the city's ordinance on minimum wage), the state law reigns supreme.

And a supremacy clause is generally a good thing, as it helps keep uniformity throughout the country or state. Here, however, it is being used for a bad purpose.

I was involved in some of the litigation on this issue in Missouri (it has been going on for years with different ordinances in Kansas City and St. Louis, as well as various state statutes attempting to limit a city's right to increase the minimum wage). The big problem with using the state supremacy clause here is that it's more of a ruse than anything else. A minimum wage is simply a floor, telling employers they are not allowed to pay lower than that amount. Cities should be allowed to increase that floor as needed to account for increased cost of living. Instead, the Legislature is saying that the minimum wage is not simply a floor, but is essentially a mandate that no employer can be forced to pay more than the minimum wage. I don't agree with that interpretation, but Missouri courts have thus far.

I agreed with Bernie Sanders when he said that our current income inequality is unsustainable. Unfortunately, I also agree with economists who say that a nationwide minimum wage of $15 an hour would have a negative effect on rural areas. The best way to handle this issue is how large cities are pushing the issue themselves, where the cost of living is higher and the minimum wage needs to be higher. Unfortunately, conservative state politicians are stymieing these efforts at every turn.
 

Nevasleep

Member
Wow. Never thought I'd see a cut of the minimum wage, even in American politics.
How is wealth supposed to trickle down now?
 

Lord Fagan

Junior Member
I assume rents cost the same everywhere in MO.

You would assume wrong. There's drastic differences between life in 21st century Hannibal versus life in 21st century St. Louis suburbs.

We are a prime example of why there's such deep division between whether raising the minimum to $15 dollars an hour federally, a murky proposition here in the Bellweather State. Don't get me wrong, our governor is a dick for doing this, $7.70 is too low anywhere in this or any other state in the union, but this is a midwest state, and there's just a big difference in all manner of costs when you compare and contrast city life and country life.
 

Jeremy

Member
You would assume wrong. There's drastic differences between life in 21st century Hannibal versus life in 21st century St. Louis suburbs.

We are a prime example of why there's such deep division between whether raising the minimum to $15 dollars an hour federally, a murky proposition here in the Bellweather State. Don't get me wrong, our governor is a dick for doing this, $7.70 is too low anywhere in this or any other state in the union, but this is a midwest state, and there's just a big difference in all manner of costs when you compare and contrast city life and country life.

It'd be cool if people could escape the country life and make it to the city life tho. It's not even a reality for me anymore lol
 
why tho, this is the exact opposite of how a minimum wage should be set

The excuse I have heard is that while the mw would be a good amount in bigger cities, people from around the state would try flocking to those cities, killing those other areas.
Other cities and people with a vested interest in those areas are whats causing this to fall through.

Most of the time that excuse sounds stupid, however when I heard it applied to my state(Alabama) I guess I could kinda see it for a low tier poor state.
 
So, is everyone currently on minimum wage locked into their $10/hour?

Or are they going to lose $2.30 an hour now?

If people are locked in at their $10 an hour, then employers can easily just massively cut hours for those people until they agree to a pay decrease. That or employers can find any number of reasons to fire someone at that $10 and replace them with another minimum wage employee. Heck I wouldn't be surprised if someone places fired people and offered to hire them back at the new lower wage.
 
Don't worry, Missourians. He won't take away your guns.

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Rootbeer

Banned
anything under $10 is incredibly insulting in 2017... I really feel for these people.

Please do yourself a favor. Move, if you can.

I'm formerly from Missouri and I got out. Follow my lead!
 
So basically when people are forced to accept a pay decrease they could lose up to $368/month. That's insane and this will incite riots.
 

Dali

Member
The excuse I have heard is that while the mw would be a good amount in bigger cities, people from around the state would try flocking to those cities, killing those other areas.
That's all it is is an excuse. The cost of living in those rural areas is likely lower and if you're using the competition excuse then what's to keep people from fleeing St. Louis to go to another state with higher wages?
 

Somnid

Member
That's all it is is an excuse. The cost of living in those rural areas is likely lower and if you're using the competition excuse then what's to keep people from fleeing St. Louis to go to another state with higher wages?

Nothing, that's why they're collecting in all these other states where pay and lifestyle are better. Urbanization is a pretty well established phenomenon, people are leaving and rural areas are dying.
 

Protein

Banned
"Higher wages kill jobs and are bad for the economy."

"Stop wasting my money on foodstamps. Get a better paying job and work harder."

"Get two jobs."

"Break your back for your company instead of expecting handouts."

"Go to school and get a better job."

"I'm not paying higher taxes for someone's college education."

"Why is this burger flipper making more than me?"



How about we bust out the guillotines instead?
 
It always blows my mind how despite the guy who implemented and made it into law saying such, minimum wage has been reframed as something that is only there for teens and shouldn't provide livable wages for employees especially at the cost of a business.
I'm still wondering why it's okay to exploit teens for cheap labor anyway.
 

Aurongel

Member
Well yeah I mean they will no longer be making $10 an hour, therefore having $3 an hour taken from their pocket. Oh wait he's arguing the other way. Republicans are fucking scum.
He's referring to the recently observed hour cuts workers were seeing in Seattle(?) where the minimum wage was recently raised.
 

akira28

Member
People need to see this what it is.

1. Rich people don't think working class people deserve to earn a respectable wage. Your place is at work. 7 days a week. No vacations. Until you die. Stop asking to earn enough to afford days off or go on vacations.

2. They know it means taxpayers will have to subsidize the poor's income with social benefits. The taxpayers are subsidizing the profit margins of the owner class through these programs. They don't mind. They hire the CPAs to avoid paying their fair share of taxes anyways. So it ends up being other people paying their worker's wages.

I'm against the "Fight for 15". Because it should be $25.


sounds like it should just be "Fight".
 
I have thoughts on this and will probably get shit on but oh well. I live in St. Louis so I have more opinion than anyone else.

1) This will help local business way more than the "big food chains". There is a bar down the street that recently cut back days open because of the minimum wage going up. Also in Seattle where the Minimum wage is high unemployment it increasing.

2) It's matching the rest of the States minimum wage. Which is still higher than quite a few other states.

3) Businesses are still who determines how much a person gets paid when it comes down to it.
 
Kinda sucks but ultimately understandable for the area. The minimum wage businesses in St Louis can't afford higher artificial wages.
 

Flo_Evans

Member
I have thoughts on this and will probably get shit on but oh well. I live in St. Louis so I have more opinion than anyone else.

1) This will help local business way more than the "big food chains". There is a bar down the street that recently cut back days open because of the minimum wage going up. Also in Seattle where the Minimum wage is high unemployment it increasing.

2) It's matching the rest of the States minimum wage. Which is still higher than quite a few other states.

3) Businesses are still who determines how much a person gets paid when it comes down to it.

Do you actually live in the city? Or are you from "St. Louis" I actually live and work here and employ people. I actually voted on this wage increase.
 

Amory

Member
that's about 16 grand a year for a full time job.

that's...unconscionable. I made more when I was a 16 year old cashier in 2003
 
Do you actually live in the city? Or are you from "St. Louis" I actually live and work here and employ people. I actually voted on this wage increase.

I live in Soulard and work in Hazelwood. Born at St. Lukes in Chesterfield and raised in St. Charles......if that answers your questions.
 
I remember making a sweet $5.15/hr back when I stocked grocery shelves in high school and then paying union dues on top of that.

It turned me into a cold-hearted cheapskate who never spends money.


I guess my point is fuck the Blues.
 

MechaX

Member
I'll start stealing like crazy if they lowered my minimum wage, fuck you.

Well, given that the City in particular already has a dearth of officers (some of whom tend to flee to nicer areas of the county, but that's another subject), there's probably plenty of that going around already.
 

Damaniel

Banned
"And despite what you hear from liberals, it will take money out of people's pockets."

Last I heard, an increased minimum wage actually helps put money in people's pockets (well, the pockets of most) by increasing the amount of overall spending.

Even if not, the people who will supposedly have money taken out of their pockets perhaps deserve to have some of that money taken out. It sure doesn't do much good in the bank accounts of the wealthy not being spent in the community.
 
How are people not revolting yet? At everyone corner conservatives are fucking these people’s over and they just take it cause they believe liberals will do worse somehow yet it never really happens.
 

Daingurse

Member
How can anyone live off that?

Conservatives don't expect people to live off the minimum wage. They see those jobs as temporary work till people can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Want a livable wage?
Work harder! It's all bullshit of course, and it ignores the reality that people are trying to survive on these wages!
 

R0ckman

Member
I believe it. You had a candidate for congress flat out saying she doesn't support a livable wage, yet these dumb fuck Republicans still voted for her and she won.

I'm not going to lie or paint my post with any hyperbole.

I remember this canidate and forgot to check the results. In response your post reminding me of the situation, I felt literal fear, that a significant amount of humans could be this stupid. I felt a sharp pulse of fear and then disbelief.

What in the high hell is going on in this planet?
 
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