BC minimum wage now the lowest in the country

[maryjane48]

*removed*

[oneh2obabe]

Back on topic. Thanks.

[Omnitheo]

It would be interesting to compare minimum wages to the cost of a Big Mac as a percent. Bet it's pretty constant. Did a quick search and couldn't really find anything. Anyone remember what a big Mac cost in 1980 when minimum wage was $3.65? It's what, $5.25 now? Relative to minimum wage that shoudl put it around $1.80, which was probably right.

If minimum wage increases by inflation than prices shoudl match that and no one falls behind. If it were to quickly jump to say, $15, then how would a buisness make up for that additional cost?

The price increases seldom have anything to do with wage, and far more to do with what the market will allow them to get away with. In addition, as wages have increased slightly over time for those at the bottom, those at the top have tripled their salaries. The wage gap has increased exponentially since the 80's.

[dieseluphammerdown]

It would be interesting to compare minimum wages to the cost of a Big Mac as a percent. Bet it's pretty constant. Did a quick search and couldn't really find anything. Anyone remember what a big Mac cost in 1980 when minimum wage was $3.65? It's what, $5.25 now? Relative to minimum wage that shoudl put it around $1.80, which was probably right.

If minimum wage increases by inflation than prices shoudl match that and no one falls behind. If it were to quickly jump to say, $15, then how would a buisness make up for that additional cost?

Here this might help you :-)
And I'd say your pretty darn close.

http://bigmacindex.org/1986-big-mac-index.html

[goatboy]

The price increases seldom have anything to do with wage, and far more to do with what the market will allow them to get away with. In addition, as wages have increased slightly over time for those at the bottom, those at the top have tripled their salaries. The wage gap has increased exponentially since the 80's.

So that tells me that unskilled labour is not the way to make more money. Get some training and make more. I love the slant of "what they can get away with" as opposed to "what the product is worth".

[Omnitheo]

If you knew anything about Internet prices, you would understand that it is far more about "what they can get away with" as opposed to "what it's worth". The margins are exponential, and this is why family members of their CEOs who are no longer even involved in the company can take home $15million in annual salary. Meanwhile because they could get away with it, they would pay BC employees less than Alberta employees who had a lower cost of living (despite admitting that BC employees were better than the Alberta ones)

[davis123]

The price increases seldom have anything to do with wage, and far more to do with what the market will allow them to get away with. In addition, as wages have increased slightly over time for those at the bottom, those at the top have tripled their salaries. The wage gap has increased exponentially since the 80's.

So that tells me that unskilled labour is not the way to make more money. Get some training and make more. I love the slant of "what they can get away with" as opposed to "what the product is worth".

What are you even talking about goatboy, this topic isn't about gaining more skills to make more than minimum wage, this isn't about uneducated people or unskilled people, it is about minimum wage. There will always be a minimum wage, it needs to keep up with the rising price of everything. Your suggestions to get more training, etc. are completely irrelevant to this topic.

2003 minimum wage
BC– 8.00
Alberta – 5.90
Ontario – 6.85

2016 minimum wage
BC – 10.45 -> increase of 2.45
Alberta – 11.20 -> increase of 5.30
Ontario – 11.40 -> increase of 4.55

BC is lacking horribly in keeping up the minimum wage in accordance to the cost of living in BC

In 2003 I paid 750$ a month for a full-house rental in Kelowna, BC
In 2015 I paid 1736$ a month for a full-house rental in Kelowna, BC -> increase of 986$

Grocery costs have risen dramatically
Utility bills have risen dramatically
ICBC has risen
Medical has risen
Gas prices have risen
Everything has risen…

But our minimum wage went up a measly 2.45 during this time.

[rustled]

If you knew anything about Internet prices, you would understand that it is far more about "what they can get away with" as opposed to "what it's worth". The margins are exponential, and this is why family members of their CEOs who are no longer even involved in the company can take home $15million in annual salary. Meanwhile because they could get away with it, they would pay BC employees less than Alberta employees who had a lower cost of living (despite admitting that BC employees were better than the Alberta ones)

If I understand your philosophy correctly, you're saying a) some people get away with making obscene amounts of money, while others are forced to earn very little, b) this is unfair and c) to make it more fair everyone on the bottom should be paid more.

It seems to me there's very little likelihood of making life "fair" through this means. It seems to me you'll only be reducing the ability of more people in the middle to live at a reasonable standard, while the obscenely wealthy won't feel the pinch. Suggestions of a liveable minimum wage never seem to address the impacts of a liveable minimum on those who are currently just getting by.

No one is arguing against incremental raises. No one wants to keep poor people poor.

What some of us are suggesting is that we should all think long and hard about the unintended consequences of your largesse before adopting it.

[rustled]

What are you even talking about goatboy, this topic isn't about gaining more skills to make more than minimum wage, this isn't about uneducated people or unskilled people, it is about minimum wage. There will always be a minimum wage, it needs to keep up with the rising price of everything. Your suggestions to get more training, etc. are completely irrelevant to this topic.

2003 minimum wage
BC– 8.00
Alberta – 5.90
Ontario – 6.85

2016 minimum wage
BC – 10.45 -> increase of 2.45
Alberta – 11.20 -> increase of 5.30
Ontario – 11.40 -> increase of 4.55

BC is lacking horribly in keeping up the minimum wage in accordance to the cost of living in BC

In 2003 I paid 750$ a month for a full-house rental in Kelowna, BC
In 2015 I paid 1736$ a month for a full-house rental in Kelowna, BC -> increase of 986$

Grocery costs have risen dramatically
Utility bills have risen dramatically
ICBC has risen
Medical has risen
Gas prices have risen
Everything has risen…

But our minimum wage went up a measly 2.45 during this time.

The minimum wage goes up by formula, regularly, as do the minimums in most provinces. The next increase comes in September, and no one is arguing against this. You may feel the formula needs tweaking, and you may be correct in this.

What concerns some of us is what we perceive to be a blind willingness to impoverish or bankrupt those who are already getting along on a little above minimum wage, by suggesting the minimum should be "liveable".

This notion the minimum should be liveable comes with a distinct inability to think outside this ideology long enough to understand the very real economic implications for everyone else. Look to Seattle for an example, and try to consider what it would mean if an entire province were to adopt this short-sighted approach.

[davis123]

Where were the insults exactly?

Why should they afford to rent a place on their own? Where is that stated anywhere as being something everyone should just expect? I had to have room-mates for a long period of time before I could afford my own place. It was actually a lot of fun.

I can't be bothered to go back and pick out all of your insults, you go back and read them, but you won't see them as insults because you feel somehow justified to make your condescending remarks.

lol omg, this is just really hard for some of you to comprehend hey, not everyone making minimum wage is some 17 or 23 year old person living in moms basement...there are families trying to get by on that, or single parents, sure they can get roommates, but that might not be feasible either.

TELLING THEM TO GET EDUCATION OR MORE SKILLS IS NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT

Pretend if you will, that the person NEVER gains more skills, never gets education...and they live their lives on minimum wage. The minimum wage MUST increase as the cost of living increases, there's just no arguing that fact. Your opinion of their skills, education, etc. has no bearing on the subject at all.

I do believe the entire system needs an overhaul though, it just isn't working, there is no way minimum wage can keep up with the rising costs. I think anyone living at home with their parents should earn minimum wage, whatever that is, and anyone who does not live with their parents should get minimum wage PLUS some kind of living wage from the government, I think that would work out quite well for everyone.

[The Green Barbarian]

. In addition, as wages have increased slightly over time for those at the bottom, those at the top have tripled their salaries. The wage gap has increased exponentially since the 80's.

If you are going to keep pulling the CEO salary thing out (and how they make money from stock options) and say that the salaries of a few hundred people (who are actually making their money from stock options, not actual pay) should cause an entire change in structure to make many goods and services unaffordable and put millions out of work, then you are just plain not seeing the big picture. I get it, you hate people that have more than you do, because they are smarter than you, so you want to take revenge on them. It's a common human emotion. But that's not enough excuse to destroy the economy. It's like pointing at the price of a Big Mac in Australia and trying to claim that has relevance to anything. It doesn't.

[The Green Barbarian]

What some of us are suggesting is that we should all think long and hard about the unintended consequences of your largesse before adopting it.

You see Rustled, thinking "long and hard" about stuff isn't really necessary. It's all about "feeling". It feels good to be in support of raising minimum wages. Worrying about the consequences of such things is for other people. I just want to turn off my brain, and "feel" things. If you think long and hard, you can't "feel" as much, and that's just not good.

[The Green Barbarian]

I can't be bothered to go back and pick out all of your insults,

Because there weren't any.

lol omg, this is just really hard for some of you to comprehend hey, not everyone making minimum wage is some 17 or 23 year old person living in moms basement...there are families trying to get by on that, or single parents, sure they can get roommates, but that might not be feasible either.

OK. Yes, there is no one size fits all. Just like there is no magic wand that you can wave that just jacks minimum wage to the moon without severe consequences. And yet, that's never considered by the "jack the Minimum Wage to the moon" crowd. They are only capable of thinking in a linear fashion. Never considering the macro economic consequences. And that's why you guys fail. Over and over again.

TELLING THEM TO GET EDUCATION OR MORE SKILLS IS NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT

AND YET IT IS EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS ABOUT

Pretend if you will, that the person NEVER gains more skills, never gets education...and they live their lives on minimum wage. The minimum wage MUST increase as the cost of living increases, there's just no arguing that fact.

Why would I pretend - why wouldn't this person upgrade their skills? Why? Is it society's job to keep rewarding this person with higher wages, or society's job to motivate them to get training?

I think anyone living at home with their parents should earn minimum wage, whatever that is, and anyone who does not live with their parents should get minimum wage PLUS some kind of living wage from the government, I think that would work out quite well for everyone.

Great - you pay the extra taxes for this "living wage". Then it's win-win. These people get more money, and you get your liberal guilt complex soothed.

[maryjane48]

hardly . the world is slowly but steadly moving towards a class war . when russia went communist that was a direct result of people like you saying exactly what your saying now . it is in canadas best intrest to help bring the bottom up . because when tberes enough people on the bottom they will just take what people like failed to give up as a free choice .

[The Green Barbarian]

hardly . the world is slowly but steadly moving towards a class war .

Ok, thank you for that dire prediction Comrade Lenin. The entire world is steadily moving towards greater and greater prosperity, thanks to mankind's genius in unlocking the mysteries of electricity, the atom, and petroleum. The only thing standing in the way of this progress is corruption and idiot leftists, forcing people in Africa for instance into idiotic "green" energy solutions and non-GMO food rather than just providing them with cheap electricity, clean water, cheap nourishing food and DDT to kill off malaria-ridden mosquitoes.