Mayor Ed Murray announces nothing.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray packed a conference room at city hall this afternoon to announce that he has no minimum wage proposal. At least not yet. Oh well.
Murray did outline several main points. If he had made a proposal it would phase in to $15 (eventually), indexed to inflation (eventually), with a slower phase-in for small businesses, however “small” is ultimately defined. There would be no “exemptions” we’re told, but there would be a phased out deduction for the cost of providing some benefits. And maybe a tip credit. That’s still under discussion.
I don’t mean to come off as snarky here. This isn’t easy. But he’s pretty much talking about all the things we’ve all been talking about, but without providing much specificity.
So, yeah. No news, really.
If that press conference isn’t a microcosm of his administration so far (all hype and no delivery), I don’t know what is.
Seattle Weekly will praise the Mayor’s bold leadership because not having a plan is way better than riding a bike, not liking Bertha and suggesting that maybe running ads for child prostitutes is wrong.
Seattle Times editorializes:
Unlike his predecessor who campaigned against the tunnel Mayor Murray’s refreshing leadership of campaigning in favor of a $15 minimum wage was symbolic. As we assured you, a $15 wage is the death of all commerce in the City. And the Mayor is letting us keep our cars.
Without Mayor Murray’s leadership on this issue, Seattle’s standard of living would be headed the way of Aberdeen.
We thank Mayor Murray for keeping Mercer Island strong. Can we repeal the death tax now?
Why not $5,000 an hour?
$15 dollars an hour will happen someday, because gay marriage!
If the minimum is $15 per hour, I’m entitled to $25.23 per hour.
@6
That wouldn’t bring you anywhere near parity of worker to CEO pay during the boom postwar years. To grow the economy you should be making far more so that you can afford more goods and services. Your boss being able to buy a third home as a vacation spot isn’t generating enough commerce.
but thanks for playing.
(orig. posted to wrong thread.)
@4 Put borrow-and-spend Republicans in charge of the economy and, trust me, $5,000 an hour will be the new $15 an hour in no time. And $15 will be the change you get back when you hand the newsstand guy three $100 bills for a newspaper.
@6 That’s the trouble with you humans. You all think you’re entitled.
Yeah, who needs restaurants anyway, especially the cheap ones?
The sad thing is that Kashma has turned out to be less leader than a blow hard. Thus dies a political career that might have done some good.
7,
Yeah, but I still want the money. And you’re in the same boat with me, pal, when it comes to CEO pay.
Thanks for playing!
Mayor Milquetoast goes squishy once again. The only thing I’ve seen him get right so far is to push to keep work going on the seawall replacement, as that is the waterfront structural problem not the viaduct.
@12
So glad you’re happy with what the math says is a $17-18/hr salary. If you slave away at that rate for 3-5 years, maybe you’ll get to $20, then the sky is the limit. Keep voting republican and you’ll save enough to retire….uh…never.
But your boss totally deserves that cushy retirement because without her, there wouldn’t be wage slaves unable to buy a used Toyota and grow the economy not at all. Without all her hard work, you’d have nothing, amiright?
Since slaving away at minimum wage after toiling for 4 to 8 years at college is getting you nowhere maybe its time to rethink your tattoo and piercings. Min wage jobs are for teens and old people. Don’t get mad at business owners who risk their capital while you pour coffee out of one container into another one. Consider why the dollar is worthless to begin with. If you are dumb enough to live on minimum wage your whole life then you got other problems bigger than your inability to plan your life and be fiscally responsible.
@15…Well said.
Because I “married” another dude…you will get $15 dollars an hour at some point.
@15 Yup, that is the right wing alright. The dumb should be exploited and live less healthy happy lives than the people who succeed in exploiting them. With dumb being defined by how much you are driven to accept a shitty job – basically, if you can be exploited, you deserve to be exploited, because the fact of your being exploited proves you are dumb and deserve to be exploited.
There is definitely an ethical and moral divide between the right, who relish the harsh “truth” of exploitation and want, and those who are uncomfortable with other people suffering needlessly in a land of plenty.
@18, Cry me a fucking river. You libs need to hop on the reality train and stop pretending that a Socialist utopia is just around the corner.
#18, do my fucking laundry.