Federal Minimum Wage going up today

[FrugalTexan75]

FT, I hadn't caught onto that with the quotation marks. Now I'm a little more suspicious. I'm wondering if it is possible the people you work for voluntarily raised their payments to you because they are afraid someone might otherwise report them to the state labor board which would investigate and then find out that these people they are calling independent contracts really are not legally independent contractors. If that were so they would owe back taxes on everything they've paid you and the others. Are you a personal trainer? I think can see how a PT might work as a contractor in someone else's gym, but I sure can see how it would work as an employee.

Let's put it this way ... the label of IC that they apply to us, is only a small portion of what they could get into big trouble for -- at least they haven't bounced any paychecks in the last 2 rounds (that I know of.)

No, I'm not a PT. All I do is sit near the front, and when people come in I sign them in and give them a key. I also make sure there are always clean towels availble, and do other general try to keep the customer happy type stuff. Of course this is made difficult sometimes due to having to tell the manager (also only PT for 3 locations) 5 or 6 times that the women's restroom is out of deodorant, or the mens restroom needs shampoo .... etc. Oh, and it took the cake when two locations were *completely* out of laundry soap for three days. Luckily for me, those 3 days weren't very busy and I had plenty of clean towels to muddle through.

[disneysteve]

the women's restroom is out of deodorant, or the mens restroom needs shampoo

You supply deodorant? Shampoo I could see in a dispenser thing but deodorant? In what form is it supplied?

Or do you mean deodorant as in air freshener?

[maat55]

Obama can't just decide it doesn't want to enforce certain laws. That law was passed years ago by the congress and signed by Bush. He can't just say "Sorry, I don't feel like doing this law." That isn't how it works. If it were, what we would really have is a monarchy, not a president bound by checks and balances.

Presidents do make these decisions, no different than extending tax-cuts or letting them expire.

[Seeker]

http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/FPISmallBusinessMinWage.pdf

[Inkstain82]

Presidents do make these decisions, no different than extending tax-cuts or letting them expire.

Letting a tax cut expire would be a similar situation. Extending it would not.

You were wrong. It's ok to admit it.

[wincrasher]

Obama doesn't need to endorse the increase or even comment on it - it's a done deal. Plus, what is to be gained politically by making big pronouncements that a segement of the workforce is getting a raise, when the rest are not? Especially considering that that segment is not big on voting.

It's a shame that so many are living on minimum wage and are probably glad to have it. You can probably get by on it in rural America if you are very, very frugal. Yippy, our poverty is like being rich in the 3rd world. Isn't that something to be proud about.

Boasting that you could raise a family on it in the 80's is impressive. Even then, it was barely subsistance. You were just buying groceries, paying the light bill and maybe the rent - and you were watching every penny. You weren't saving for the future on it, weren't going to send your kids to college on it, couldn't qualify for a mortgage or a credit card or buy a new car. How many times did you buy new shoes and clothes for the kids?

At it's core, it's not a good idea for the government to be dictating wages. But people, being as they are, don't always do the right thing left to their own devices, do they? How many employers in captive communities, or in times of great unemployment would only pay $2/hr if it was not illegal?

Maybe some of you free-marketer's think that's not a bad idea? Who cares if some people make $.50 an hour and live in slums? Doesn't effect me, right?

[Inkstain82]

At it's core, it's not a good idea for the government to be dictating wages. But people, being as they are, don't always do the right thing left to their own devices, do they? How many employers in captive communities, or in times of great unemployment would only pay $2/hr if it was not illegal?

This is the right argument.

Markets function only when actors are rational. There are many known situations when actors are not rational. One of those is when there is a very large gap in negotiating leverage. Employers have much more leverage than employees at the bottom of the labor-skill continuum. That causes the rationality of the market to break down and force the government to intervene.

[GREENBACK]

"At it's core, it's not a good idea for the government to be dictating wages. But people, being as they are, don't always do the right thing left to their own devices, do they? How many employers in captive communities, or in times of great unemployment would only pay $2/hr if it was not illegal?"

The welfare system ensures that nobody is gonna work for $2 an hour. See, ain't the goverment great!

[maat55]

Letting a tax cut expire would be a similar situation. Extending it would not.

You were wrong. It's ok to admit it.

I'm confusing the current wage increase with his proposed increase.

Obama eyes $9.50 minimum wage, extending workplace discrimination laws to sexual orientation - Phoenix Business Journal:

Obama plans to raise it to 9.5.

I conceed that the current increase is not his doing, but I still believe if necessary, he could have it suspended with permission from Congress.

I consider the current increase unwise in this market and should be shelved until stronger signs of recovery are proven.

[GREENBACK]

I conceed that the current increase is not his doing, but I still believe if necessary, he could have it suspended with permission from Congress.

I consider the current increase unwise in this market and should be shelved until stronger signs of recovery are proven.

This is ,of course, political suicide. Neither a dem. or a repub.would do this regardless of the economic climate. I have no doubt about them taking advantage of this and spinning it to sound like it was their doing at some point, while seeking an increase on it. This is about politics with this admin. as much as it was with the last. Politics is a very crass thing and most only see the surface.

It doesn't garner votes from those recieving the increased wage but it does from the voters that buy into making this a wage people can live on. The american public is, frankly, ignorant for the most part.

[maat55]

This is ,of course, political suicide. Neither a dem. or a repub.would do this regardless of the economic climate. I have no doubt about them taking advantage of this and spinning it to sound like it was their doing at some point, while seeking an increase on it. This is about politics with this admin. as much as it was with the last. Politics is a very crass thing and most only see the surface.

It doesn't garner votes from those recieving the increased wage but it does from the voters that buy into making this a wage people can live on. The american public is, frankly, ignorant for the most part.

And we humans think we are the most intellegent species on earth.

I'm shocked that Obama would consider an increase to 9.50, as far as political suicide is concerned. Of course, if we are in the final stages of government collapse(the stage where the people figure out they can vote themselves goodies with no tax consequenses) this would be right on track.

[Inkstain82]

Adjusted for inflation, $9.50 wouldn't be close to the highest it's ever been, even in good times.

Edit:

Actually, I'm wrong, now that I looked it up. $9.50 would put it just under its peak in the mid-1960s. That's probably a bit too high. Something like $8.25 or so would be just about right.

[FrugalTexan75]

You supply deodorant? Shampoo I could see in a dispenser thing but deodorant? In what form is it supplied?

Or do you mean deodorant as in air freshener?

Yes, we supply shampoo, body wash, hairspray, deodorant, and hand lotion. It is the spray on kind, aerosol. The shampoo is usually Vo5 or Suave in bottles.

[wnlbutterfly]

FrugalTexan75, sounds to me like you are a receptionist and not an independent contractor at all. Are they withholding taxes or giving you a 1099-misc at the end of the year?

A lot of business do their payroll incorrectly. They like the idea of saying everyone is independent contractors because then they don't have to do the matching SS/medicare taxes, YOU pay that to Uncle Sam at tax time with self-employment taxes. But there are guidelines that help determine if you qualify as independent contractor, and one of them is that they don't dictate your hours, and you tell them what pay you will need for the job they ask you to do. Go to the IRS website and look it up.

Of course if you are just working part time and don't want to rock the boat, then I say don't worry about it. If they are withholding taxes then they aren't paying you as an independent contractor either.

[wnlbutterfly]

$9.50 WOW, here in the midwest that would hit hard, people would be losing jobs for sure.

People expectations of what they should have as a "need" is different than it used to be. And what should we expect our government to provide? Don't we see it here a lot? People saying they can't pay their bills because they NEED 2-3 cars, they NEED cell phones, cable, eating out every other night....ect.