We are going to need a bigger bowl

Back in early April 2015, a Seattle Times editorial writer suggested that one way we could look at the impact of $15 on Seattle was to look at the pho restaurants in the city. They implied that the immigrant communities would not be able to handle higher wages or higher prices. They suggested we “follow the pho.” So we did. Turns out that in less than a year since the minimum wage phase in began we are up +4.

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What if Ronald McBaumgartner’s greatest fear came true?

Workers won $15 in Seattle, the city is booming, and the far right is starting to panic. After all, they’ve tried to scare us for decades with a sky is falling story whenever people raise wages or put into place worker protections. So when Seattle raise wages and booms, they start getting desperate. The latest tantrum comes from State Senator Michael Baumgartner from the Spokane area (where they just passed a citywide paid sick leave ordinance).

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New minimum wage, city booms

Last year, in January, Crystal Thompson was being paid $9.47 an hour working at Domino’s in Seattle. This year, on January 1, 2016, she saw her pay rate go up to $13 an hour for the same job. This wasn’t a surprise or a gift, Crystal knew it was coming because she was one of the leaders who made it happen.

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Seattle minimum wage rises to $13, $12.50, $12, and/or $10.50 on January 1st

Seattle's march to a citywide $15 minimum wage takes another leap forward on Friday, when the city's minimum wage rises to $13/hour for many workers. Meanwhile, the rest of the state will not see an increase at all, as the statewide minimum remains stuck at just $9.47/hour for another year  — substantially less than it takes to afford a 1-bedroom apartment in Bellingham, Bremerton, Lewiston, Longview, Tacoma, the Tri-Cities, Wenatchee, Yakima, or just about anywhere else in the state.

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