All businesses run on numbers. Let's say you pay $17.50/hour. If minimum wage goes up to $15, Your people will rightly say that they previously were paid almost 2x minimum wage. Proportionally, you'll need to pay them $30/hour. They'll at least want $23-$25/hour. If you want to maintain the work ethic and loyalty, you'll pay it. Otherwise, they'd go get an easy job making $15-16. What would all this do to your labor as a percent of revenue figures? In my business, this will push the labor % from about 31% to nearly 46%! To keep labor at 31%, I'd have to raise prices almost 50%. I could do less than that because rent would be fixed but, I will experience an increase in all supply, janitorial, and other business costs. This 50% price increase would not be some 'optional' thing. If I don't do it, I will not be able to make payroll. That simple. The impact of forcing a 'living wage' onto jobs that are primarily designed for entry level, high school kids, will be a massive increase in prices. It may be a slow burn as it phases in but, the end result will be the numbers shown here.

Maggie I loved this. If you would be interested in a discussion, we know ways to improve (financially) the lives of business owners who adopt this spirit in compensation and benefits. If what you are saying is true, you probably owe it to yourself to take advantage of the incentives that exist for employers to think this way, and we do know them inside and out and would be happy to share without asking anything of you.

Maggie, I totally favor you doing what YOU choose and I favor YOU favoring me doing what I choose to do. Let the chips fall where they may.