Free Republic

NEW YORK (AP) — Fast-food workers in New York state would see a super-sized raise under a plan to phase in a $15 minimum wage — the first time a state has singled out a particular industry for such an increase. The hike, approved Wednesday by the state Wage Board, would increase gradually over three years in New York City and six years for the rest of the state. It would apply to employees at any fast-food restaurant with 30 or more locations, impacting an estimated 200,000 workers. "You cannot live and support a family on $18,000 a year in...

There is no way to know what is going on in someone else's mind. But sometimes their behavior tells you more than their words. The political left's great claim to authenticity and honor is that what they advocate is for the benefit of the less fortunate. But how could we test that? T.S. Eliot once said, "Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm — but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they...

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s getting more expensive to be an employer and small business owners say that’s making it harder for them to make money.The health care law, minimum wage increases and paid sick leave laws in some states and cities are increasing costs. Small companies also face the prospect of higher overtime expenses under a proposed federal regulation.“We’re going beyond the point where we can comfortably operate a functioning business and meet the requirements of these laws,” says Diana Lamon, who owns a Los Angeles restaurant, Poppy & Rose and a food truck, Peaches’ Smokehouse and Southern Kitchen,...

Business groups and the restaurants sector have strongly opposed any increase in the minimum wage of €8.65 ahead of reports that the Low Pay Commission is expected to recommend a rise of 50 cent per hour. The commission will present its report to Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash over the next few days and is expected to recommend an increase of about 50 cent per hour. IBEC, which represents Irish businesses, said the proposal was “at odds with all the economic evidence” and would “heap pressure on companies still struggling to stay in business and erode crucial competitiveness...

The Golden Arches are looking a little less shiny this year and McDonald’s franchise owners see hard times coming. This time it has nothing to do with the raging national debate over whether or not the McRib is awesome or awful, however. The vast majority of their fast food outlets are not owned by the corporation, but by franchise operators. Those entrepreneurs are regularly polled about their outlook for the coming year and most of them aren’t putting on their happy faces. (From CNBC) Just when you thought it couldn’t get much worse for McDonald’s, it did.The six-month outlook...

Kansas City’s minimum wage will rise to $13 an hour over about four and a half years under an ordinance that council members approved Thursday, although there are questions whether it could withstand a legal challenge. The ordinance, which makes the city the only one in Missouri to approve a wage higher than the state’s current $7.65 minimum, had the backing of low-wage workers, who burst into applause after council members and Major Sly James voted to approve it. The measure would apply to Kansas City, Missouri and not its sister city in Kansas. […] But business groups are questioning...

McDonald's franchisees are terrified for the future of the company, according to a new survey. The operators' six-month outlook for McDonald's business is the worst in the 12-year history of the survey, which was conducted by former Janney Capital Markets analyst Mark Kalinowski. "At least half of the operators in my region are on the verge of collapse," one franchisee wrote in response to the survey. "With minimum wage for fast food workers potential increasing to incredibly high levels, we are facing a crisis situation. Another said: "The operators sit on a cliff right now. With sales going in the...

Chipotle claims they have stopped serving food from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). What are the health risks from eating genetically modified food? There aren’t any. Twenty-five years of scientific studies have shown no evidence of harm from the use of GM crops. A recent report from the European Union found that ‘the main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that biotechnology, and in particular GMOs, are not more risky to consume than conventional plant...

If you’re out on the left coast and heading out for some tasty Chipotle goodness tonight, be prepared to dig a little deeper when you pay the check. Prices are going up and it’s not just because of the cost of beef. (From the Chicago Tribune) In its weekly survey of 10 Chipotle markets, Chicago-based William Blair found that Chipotle raised prices in half of the markets that the investment firm surveyed — San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis and Orlando. In most markets, the price increases occurred due to the rising cost of beef.The city by the bay, however,...

Citing significant new costs to the state and a negative effect on businesses, the Brown administration’s Finance Department is opposing a bill that would raise California's $9 minimum wage to $11 an hour on Jan. 1 and boost it again to $13 in 2017. “The Department of Finance is opposed to this bill because it results in significant, unbudgeted costs to the General Fund,” the report says. “Further, Finance notes the net impact of an increased minimum wage on California’s economy and state budget is likely to be negative.” “For the economy, losses from higher production costs to businesses would...

A Republican California assemblyman was left stunned Wednesday when the Democratic chair of the Assembly Labor and Employment committee cut off his microphone and then ordered security to physically remove the microphone from the meeting. The incident occurred during debate over legislation that would increase the Golden State’s minimum wage to $11 in 2016 and $13 in 2017. The current minimum wage is $9 an hour and is set to already rise to $10 an hour next year. Republican Matthew Harper said that Democratic chair Rodger Hernández cut off a witness testifying mid-sentence. When Harper, who Hernández had already recognized as...

Following the growing US anti-tipping trend due to rising minimum wages, Abrusci’s Italian Restaurant today announced that it will be instituting a “no-tipping” policy effective July 20, 2015.  The tip line on checks will be replaced with a 20% service charge that goes directly to restaurant payroll and benefits.  Customers will be able to evaluate their server, their meal, and their overall experience via a confidential survey that will be provided with each check and deposited in a survey box on departure. Most servers will be moved to a 34 hour work week and will be compensated with an annual...

From an equity research report issued to investors by global investment banking and wealth management firm William Blair on Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) – “Price Increases Have Begun Early in Third Quarter” (received privately): • In our weekly survey of ten of Chipotle’s markets, we found the company implemented price increases in half of the surveyed markets this week—San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Orlando. In most markets, the price increases have been limited to beef and average about 4% on barbacoa and steak, toward the lower end of management’s expectation for a 4% to 6% price increase...

A simple Facebook comment exploded into a big reveal on the hypocrisy of some groups spearheading the fight for a $15 minimum wage. “It was a paid advertisement that came through on social media,” Cody McLaughlin told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “I thought it was funny so I posted a comment.” The advertisement was for a job opening at the advocacy group Working America. The group was looking to hire field managers to launch a grassroots effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. For his own amusement, McLaughlin asking if it paid $15 an hour. “Hi...

. . . . Consider what happened in Los Angeles. Last month, the city council approved a five-year plan to boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Late in the campaign for that increase, labor unions, which had led the push for a higher wage, made a surprising request: They wanted collectively bargained contracts to be exempt from the new standard. The mayor said no, but some other cities have such exemptions and the issue is unlikely to go away in Los Angeles. The unions' request reflects realities of both economics and politics. Politically, the $15 wage push is,...

It’s a progressive paradise.Public employees get 30 vacation days a year. Anyone who works over eight hours in a day gets paid time-and-a-half. Employees have strong rights.The minimum wage is high: 77 percent of the median wage.Environmental regulations are settled beyond the pressure of local economic interests. The forests and mountains are pristine destinations for ecotourism.Energy costs are kept high, pushing consumption down to a level deemed “socially beneficial”. Utilities have strong public backing and provide jobs to thousands.Union jobs in shipping are protected from outsourcing to cut-rate foreign competitors.The social safety net is buoyant and provides a solid working-class standard...

They boost their teams from the sidelines and promote them by appearing in calendars and at fan events, but some sports cheerleaders say they are still not considered team employees and are paid what amounts to less than minimum wage. California legislation believed to be the first of its kind in the nation is set to change that. The bill approved by the state Senate on Monday and sent to the governor for his signature would require that cheerleaders be paid at least minimum wage and overtime and sick leave if they work for professional sports teams based in California....

1. A constitutional amendment abolishing the Electoral College and substituting in its place a direct election of the president by popular vote. 2. A constitutional amendment abolishing the two term limit on the presidency. 3. A constitutional amendment mandating that 5% of GDP be spent on the Pentagon’s budget, with safeguards that the money actually be spent on soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines and the equipment they need, and not on absurd “tack-ons” like “green energy” production for military bases. Rebuild the military and detach it from the GOP, and do so before a coup becomes a reality in the...

In agonizing detail, fast-food workers are testifying about struggling to live on the meager salaries paid by their industry. Holding two or three jobs. Bunking with strangers four to a bedroom. Relying on food stamps to feed families. Scrambling when employers change schedules on a whim. Striving for education and to move up without a minute to spare. As Gov. Cuomo watches amber encase his legislative agenda, New York’s roughly 200,000 fast-food employees should be grateful he has the power to set some minimum wages on his own. There’s little doubt a wage board convened by Cuomo will recommended hikes...

This is exactly what the left pushed for… Fast food chains were never meant to be a place for someone to raise a family of 6, they were to be part time positions with some full-time advancements. Mostly the fast food restaurants were for school aged kids to learn how to interact with people, with a job, to offer spending money, and to begin responsibility learning for their future.