Why not a tiered-minimum wage?

[unknownjulie]

I am sure someone knows the answer to this, but why cant the legislature make one minimum wage for businesses that employ say "less than 2,000 people" and another minimum wage for the rest? MY problem with the bigbox stores is that they dont pay people enough in ratio to their profits, and they try to skimp on benefits. They use their "extra" money for expansion and not for investment into their people. There is already some precedent for this as the substitute teachers are somehow "exempt" from getting health insurance even if they work the 20 hrs per week. All other business have to pay this. To me, this is some kind of "tiered benefit system" - which translates into money. (one population of workers is exempted from the law) I would have no problem with a walmart in puna if they had to pay everyone 12 dollars an hour plus benefits.

[unknownjulie]

OR maybe it should be 20 dollars an hour. I dont know, just some "living wage". Would all the small businesses in Puna fail if a walmart came in, or would people just drive to PUna instead of Hilo to go to walmart? I dont know. There are many variables.

[rainyjim]

the golden rule: he who holds the gold makes the rules.

[unknownjulie]

WEll, at this point, everyone knows "walmarts game" and I just think there must be some way around it. They are debating the minimum wage right now in the Hawaii legislature, but I also think there can be a "local" minimum wage as well. Santafe went up to $10, while the rest of NM stayed at the federally set level. Why cant Puna do it also? And only for the "national chains".

[jlgerk]

Capitalism:
"an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state."
.
Socialism:
"a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole."
.
Communism:
"a political theory advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs."
.
Anarchy:
" absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual."
.
Quotes from New Oxford American Dictionary.
.
I think we struggle with our Quadra Polar ideas.
There is a little bit of everything in all of us.

............................................................
http://www.icompositions.com/artists/jlgerk

[Bullwinkle]

Pay is usually commensurate with skill levels - supply and demand ...if we raised the skill level of graduates - they would be able to command more earnings in the workplace - or at least be better able to take care of themselves ...imho

[Norm]

available jobs for a family is the problem.Working for a store or restaurant on main land is not to suport a family.We live in a place where people vacation or retire, not a place to find work.
The Goverment with all their subsidy's helped to stop farming on the islands.Locals were left out of work.
Raise Min Pay to $20.00 for all . Who will go out to a restaurant to pay $45.00 for a meal??

[Rene Siracusa]

This is an interesting discussion, but since minimum wage is a State issue and this forum is about the Puna CDP, a County issue, you really should have posted it elsewhere. People who are not interested in the PCDP will not look at this forum, even though they may be interested in your topic. In other words, you're losing a potential audience.

[unknownjulie]

I am not so sure this is state mediated always. IN NM the city of Santa Fe has a "minimum wage of 10 dollars (or more by now) and the rest of the state complies with the federal guideline. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

[punaticbychoice]

Federal minimum wage governs.
I think that other forms of minimum wages can be challenged
under interstate commerce precedents.
Anyone want to talk about minimum wage legislation and Hawaii?