San Francisco's Minimum Wage: More Than A Hamilton In 2012

Santa Cruz's is a Living Wage requirement for individuals receiving SC contracts. That is not the same as a minimum wage.

People who think this will slow job growth a) don't understand what factors determine hiring, and b) seem to forget the fact that we already have a very high minimum wage compared to the rest of the country and yet do not have higher unemployment. And believe me, every extra cent that people living below the poverty line earn goes directly back into the economy. None of it gets saved. So yes, this will be good all around.

Something to think about
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

If you mess with the market you may cause undesirable effects. Minimum wage has the best of intentions, but business' don't eat the cost of minimum wage hikes, they pass them on to the costumer. If the government madadates that you pay an employee above the market value of said job, then that will cause a rise in prices all around. It's also why jobs get shipped overseas. In a competitive gobal economy, alot of people overseas are willing to do the same medial job for well below minimum wage.

Just so you know.

The problem with that argument is you're assuming 1 job overseas = 1 American job.

It never works that way in practice.  In China you might employ a guy just to push a button all day; in America we'd hook the button up to a computer.

If we lower minimum wage too much, we'll be back to hiring people just to push buttons.  And I don't think most of us want that.

„The problem with that argument is you're assuming 1 job overseas = 1 American job.

It never works that way in practice."

It definitely works that way.

I personally send as much work as possible overseas and have permanently eliminated a lot of jobs in the United States. Everything from computer programmers to customer service (in the process of outsourcing fulfillment as well).

It's not like new opportunities are being created for Americans – my bottom line is simply healthier.

The USA becomes less relevant on a daily basis, over-regulation is a huge contributor to that fact.

Can you show me some American software engineers who were working for minimum wage?

BTW, other companies are moving jobs to Canada because it's cheaper -- no expensive health care plans to buy for their employees.  It works both ways.

The vast majority of minimum
wage work remaining in San Francisco cannot be outsourced anyway. If you haven't noticed it's been a while since companies came to San Francisco for cheap labor.

You are exactly right. Those that do rely on menial minimum wage work will raise their prices to keep up with the cost of operation. SafeWay may raise the price of items to cover costs, but when the price of milk rises 3%, those poor minimum wage worker with their fancy new raise will find their new money going out the door for the new price increases.

If you were the working poor, you’d be smart and live outside of the city, but work in the city for the raise, then spend your money outside the city where prices are cheaper.

For the small shop that is struggling to stay in business and relies on minimum wage labor, they now need to pay their employees more money at a time when they aren’t taking in enough revenue to cover the new wage increase. This causes small business to fold up and now instead of earning a market wage for their labor, those employees have no job. Lose lose.

First in the country to breach $10? Not so much..
Santa Cruz is already at $13.76 ..
 http://www.cityofsantacruz.com...

That's since July, but it's been over $10 for quite a while.

SC has a Living Wage requirement for individuals receiving SC contracts. That is not the same as a minimum wage, i.e. not all business are required to pay their employees $13.76.

Novel idea ----- Move

Go ahead.

For a little perspective:

The cost of living in SF is 70% higher than the national average.

The cost of housing in San Francisco is 189% above the national average.

The living wage for an adult with no kids to take care of themselves in SF is $12.65 dollars an hour.

To make the average SF income of $44k, the minimum wage would need to be $21 dollars an hour.

If you wanted to afford the average home in SF; that being 639K, with a 30y mortgage, you would need to earn $178k a year or $85 dollars an hour.

If you wanted to afford the average home in Bayview; that being 407K, with a 30y mortgage. you would need to earn $113k a year or $54.5 dollars an hour.

A 3% increase in minimum wage is not a significant amount to maintain a living in this city.

Just so you know.

I think what's missing from your figures is this: roommates. 

You can live on less than $12.65/hour (and I bet many do) just by splitting the rent.

That is why, at midnight on your 30th birthday, 70% of your San Francisco friends disappear.

Pfffshhh, that’s where you are wrong. My only friend isn’t going to leave me, my mom has nowhere else to go.

Are you Jimmy Darmody?

Good for them.  I hope small business owners raise their prices accordingly.