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70 Tries After Seattle Raised Its Minimum Wage, I Still Can’t Find A Job
The Federalist ^ | April 04, 2016 | Mitch Hall

Posted on 04/06/2016 9:34:37 AM PDT by Hojczyk

Employers, especially in the restaurant and food services industries, are far less willing to take chances on who they hire with so much money on the line. I was shocked to learn that some restaurants—comparable in quality to the ones that hired me with little or no experience on the East Coast—

here required a minimum of three to five years of restaurant experience, even for support staff positions like hosts and bussers. I had multiple managers glance at my resume, see that my past jobs were seasonal or temporary, and tell me upfront that unless I could commit to at least a year of labor, they simply wouldn’t hire me, despite my qualifications.

I’m a young, educated, white male who comes from an upper-middle-class background. In other words, I’m exactly the type of person that society supposedly favors over all the rest. If it’s this difficult for me to land an entry-level, minimum-wage position, then what must it be like for more disadvantaged individuals,

the very people compassionate liberals likely have in mind when they advocate for a spike in the minimum wage? Surely the poor inner-city teenager lacking education and job experience, or the struggling single mother who needs to work much more than just part-time to support her children, will lose out to other applicants even faster than I did.

The fact that cities like Seattle, and now states like California, can freely experiment with economic policy demonstrates the virtues of our nation’s federalist system. However, our local laboratories of democracy aren’t always foolproof. Sometimes, they get it wrong.

And I’ll bet my non-existent income that in time, the recent minimum wage hikes in cities and states throughout the country will provide further proof of this reality. Alas, in the meantime, my job search continues.

(Excerpt) Read more at thefederalist.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: liberalagenda; minimumwage; seattle
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To: Hojczyk
Mitch is learning some valuable lessons, first hand.

It's too bad so many politicians haven't learned the same lessons. On the other hand, "free" money and government benefits for Gibsmedat voters too often insures they keep their jobs.

Unfortunately, we "employers" of these same politicians are paying for it but can't often charge more for their "services" except occasionally throwing their greedy, lying azzes out of office.

61 posted on 04/06/2016 11:38:41 AM PDT by Gritty (Freedom begins with speaking truth. A muzzle is a muzzle even if it is made of silk.-Viktor Orban)
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To: Red Badger

You are exactly right.

I started work in a machine shop after I graduated H.S., over 50 years ago. The minimum hourly wage here in WA was $1.25. I started at $2.03 and over the next few months it rose to $2.89. This was a union job. I was able to buy a nice car and rent a small house on that income, well, until the Army got me.

Today, my wage would probably be $35-40 an hour, my nice car would cost $35-40K, rent at least $1500 a month and my taxes substantially higher. In other words, I would have lost ground. My numbers are a guess. They might need to be higher. I’m retired now and have sort of lost track.


62 posted on 04/06/2016 11:40:19 AM PDT by beelzepug (2 Timothy 2:23 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments...")
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To: Pknicker

>The so-called minimum wage should be properly identified as the minimum legal wage;

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t even label it ‘legal’. It should be called ‘govt mandated extortion’.

Employers pay the wage/taxes/fines/fees/bennies/etc., not govt. Biz isn’t doing it from any sort of ‘charity’. It is by force of the gun ONLY.


63 posted on 04/06/2016 11:47:45 AM PDT by i_robot73 ("A man chooses. A slave obeys." - Andrew Ryan)
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To: IC Ken
"70 Tries? I smell Bovine scatology.

Difficult to say. Not too long ago I was looking for work and sent out far more resumes than that. I didn't get much in the way of a response. One of the things that came up a couple of times in the few interviews I had gotten was the idea I will sum as "If you cant take the time to spell check your resume, then you wont be taken seriously as a candidate but, because of your experience we called you anyway."

When asked what stood out as misspelled, the interviewer would reference the name of a previous employer.

The word in the company name wasn't misspelled. The company in question had intentionally misspelled their name in a "clever" way that meant something to customers that understood the product. HR/supervisor types weren't considering that possibility and apparently were just chucking my applications.

Ive heard some rather bizarre stories of the reasons some peoples resume/applications were thrown out. Ive come to the conclusion that if the leadership of an organization is that dense, then I probably didn't want to work there and have to deal with them anyway.

Its hard to say what this kid is actually running in to.

64 posted on 04/06/2016 11:54:48 AM PDT by gnarledmaw (Hive minded liberals worship leaders, sovereign conservatives elect servants.)
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To: Night Hides Not

Hmmm, OK how about Manuel Huma Fujimoto?


65 posted on 04/06/2016 11:59:51 AM PDT by Rockpile (GOP legislators-----caviar eating surrender monkeys.)
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To: Ouderkirk

Shows the dog’s healthy, though :)


66 posted on 04/06/2016 12:01:52 PM PDT by chesley (The right to protest is not the right to disrupt.)
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To: beelzepug

You can use THIS to check your ‘wages’ THEN vs NOW, or when you retired:

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl


67 posted on 04/06/2016 12:02:50 PM PDT by Red Badger (The Left doesn't like him and the Right doesn't like him, so he must be the right guy for the job...)
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To: IC Ken

He may have meant ‘70 Resumes’

Back in the early 80’s, when looking for a job after the USMC, I sent out over a hundred resumes................several times......................


68 posted on 04/06/2016 12:05:42 PM PDT by Red Badger (The Left doesn't like him and the Right doesn't like him, so he must be the right guy for the job...)
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To: Rockpile
Hmmm, OK how about Manuel Huma Fujimoto?

Sounds good to me! lol

69 posted on 04/06/2016 12:09:20 PM PDT by Night Hides Not (Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Mississippi! My vote is going to Cruz.)
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To: Hojczyk

“I’m a young, educated, white male who comes from an upper-middle-class background. In other words, I’m exactly the type of person that society supposedly favors over all the rest. If it’s this difficult for me to land an entry-level, minimum-wage position, then what must it be like for more disadvantaged individuals. “

Besides wasting your parents money - you accepted the PC horse crap they feed you there : white males are privileged , at least you used “supposedly” so your on the path of questioning your liberal indoctrination.

on the path


70 posted on 04/06/2016 12:23:57 PM PDT by BobPgh
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To: mountainfolk

Yep!...I ran into a gal at the gas pumps yesterday who asked if I knew anyone who is hiring. In her early 20’s I told her the local K-Mart was hiring. First thing out of her mouth was how much they pay....I said minimum which she snarled her lips at. At which I said then, well what are bringing to the table to get more than that? She said she had cash register experience...and that’s it.

So of course I told her that in her position (not working) the idea is to keep the cash flow going no matter what the wage is....while you locate either further education or find a place that better pays you. Those are the choices unless you want to be a welfare queen taking that out of my pocket...which that spigot is going to be soon turned off and you’ll have no choice where you work...you will work where they send you to get welfare.

You cannot imagine the look in her face by the time I was finished......priceless!


71 posted on 04/06/2016 12:48:37 PM PDT by caww
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To: Hojczyk

Raising the minimum wage is NOT intended to help those earning the minimum wage. That action is intended to help those labor unions who have contracts guaranteeing the same percentage increase to its members as the percentage increase in the minimum wage.


72 posted on 04/06/2016 12:49:13 PM PDT by MIchaelTArchangel
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To: Billthedrill
On top of this, Washington state law now requires businesses to adhere to this minimum even for tipped workers, a rule that only six other states have on the books.

Well, per federal wage laws, tipped positions are required to meet minimum wage as well. So that $2.13/hr is actually at least $7.25/hr, only the restaurant can count tips against that difference. If you make $1/hr in tips, the business still has to pay you $6.25/hr. NOT $2.13!

I would assume that state minimum wages would follow the same thing.
73 posted on 04/06/2016 2:34:08 PM PDT by Svartalfiar
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To: Red Badger

Interesting. Thank you.


74 posted on 04/06/2016 3:40:13 PM PDT by beelzepug (2 Timothy 2:23 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments...")
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To: gnarledmaw
Its hard to say what this kid is actually running in to.

English major PHD's looking for full time work?

Sounds to me like a case of bad planning on his part. Looking at BLS stats for that area shows leisure and hospitality work has a seasonal component. Hiring peaks out in the summer and troughs around the first of year. They simply may not need anybody this time of the year. A lot of these outfits are trying to figure out how to keep the lights on until the tourists come back...

75 posted on 04/07/2016 4:30:21 AM PDT by EVO X
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