BC's minimum wage going up....

[LTD]

Just get to 15/hr... have businesses close there doors and have other that do stick around close around 3pm....that how you service the population. Dont forget....there will be always lineups because well not enough money to staff.

The wise move would be to cut back on discretionary, personal/recreational spending and leave more money in their business with which to operate it. You can bet that's what they tell employees to do when wage increases are withheld.

yup spoken like someone whos never ran a business and has no clue about how tight profit margins really are let me guess you're a unionized worker right

[kgcayenne]

No, comptroller of a small company who has withstood the test of time here while contemporaries have come/gone, disbanded, re-established in various configurations. They can tolerate fluctuations in their profit margins and don't expect YOY increases, they reinvest in the company when the honey flows. You see, the owners don't take more than what is needed out of the company, they live well, budget wisely, and have diversity in their portfolio...

Don't put your eggs all in one basket. People who suck at business simply suck at business, those who do well, can tolerate this increase.

[Bpeep]

I just stopped making min wage.

Great. What about people who have never been able to do this despite hard work?

Hard work keeps peeps at low income.
Smart work elevates that.

[HorganIsMyHero]

What does work smarter mean in relation to minimum wage?

[Sparki55]

It will cause a wage increase across the board. The government is trying to create inflation so they can raise interest rates.

A 50 cent wage increase for a small business. lets say two employees at full time. 80 hours times 50 cents. $40. a week. If your small business cannot take that hit you are in trouble. Or, you could increase the price of what you sell by an average of about a penny each and probably still make money.

Raising it to $15 and hour for two employees is over $300 more a week, or $1200+ a month. That could be the only profits the business currently sees and will need to cut down to one employee to keep the business profitable or be forced to shut down if one employee cannot run it.

For a McDonald's location that has about 6 to 12 employees on shift at any given time will see extra costs at minimum of $4000 extra per month. For their 1,400 locations in Canada, let's say that 200 are in BC. That translates to $800,000 per month of lost profit or 9.6 million for the year, just for BC! I bet they will spend that 9.6 million now, before it becomes extra cost in research & development to come up with more automation to replace the people who grill the food, the people who operate the tills (almost phased out already), etc.

Edit: What I said above, or now your Big Mac meal will cost you $18. This could possible reduce the gap between the middle class and lower class to a point where more than ever are at the poverty line, or employers with higher paid employees will need to raise their wage. This move could and I think will just devalue money spent in BC.

[seewood]

What I said above, or now your Big Mac meal will cost you $18. This could possible reduce the gap between the middle class and lower class to a point where more than ever are at the poverty line, or employers with higher paid employees will need to raise their wage. This move could and I think will just devalue money spent in BC.

Regarding the fast food joints, fewer of them I believe are a good thing. Thinking about a Big Mac meal makes me want to puke. Perhaps we just might see a downward incidence of obesity ( good thing) with fewer fast food places. I've always been told while growing up, that eating out was a luxury not a necessity. This whining from the restaurant industry falls on my deaf ears I'm afraid. Why do some make it ( Theo's in Pen. for example) and some don't, wages not withstanding

As a small business owner I've always paid my staff, part time and temp when I'm busy, $15.00+ / hr. They work hard and sometimes will pick up a skill they did not have previously that could help in future endeavours. ( fork-lift operations for example)

[Sparki55]

Regarding the fast food joints, fewer of them I believe are a good thing. Thinking about a Big Mac meal makes me want to puke. Perhaps we just might see a downward incidence of obesity ( good thing) with fewer fast food places. I've always been told while growing up, that eating out was a luxury not a necessity. This whining from the restaurant industry falls on my deaf ears I'm afraid. Why do some make it ( Theo's in Pen. for example) and some don't, wages not withstanding

Eating out 2-3 times a month with friends at a wing night (or whatever deal) is not a luxury. A beer and a basket of wings come to under $10, if that's a luxury than I guess I live quite the lavish life.

So when all these restaurants raise their prices to compensate their staff $15 an hour there is a possibility some will lose their jobs as it is too much expense to keep them all on. Further suggesting that whining from the restaurant industry falls on deaf ears doesn't make sense. If less people eat out, than less people are employed as servers, cook, etc and unemployment goes up. There is not enough industry in Kelowna to replace half of the service workers.

As a small business owner I've always paid my staff, part time and temp when I'm busy, $15.00+ / hr. They work hard and sometimes will pick up a skill they did not have previously that could help in future endeavours. ( fork-lift operations for example)

Your business sounds like you need a higher quality of worker than your typical minimum wage employee. After this wage increase, in 2021 you will need to offer $20 + to attract the same harder worker.

[seewood]

Eating out 2-3 times a month with friends at a wing night (or whatever deal) is not a luxury. A beer and a basket of wings come to under $10, if that's a luxury than I guess I live quite the lavish life.

In my opinion, that's all, it is a luxury or perhaps a better word is privilege? I too eat out several times a month. I consider being able to spend $50.00 a luxury or privilege, not a necessity.
Yes, if an eating establishment cannot afford to pay their staff $15.00 /hr, I suspect some will loose their jobs as some establishments will close their doors. I suspect like you, I have friends that were in the industry and margins can be thin. I know others that have owned successful restaurants, sold them and have retired to waterfront living.

I'd like to believe restaurants or eating establishments as I don't believe "Jack-in-the-Box" and other fast food joints qualifies as a restaurant, are there to provide a service to customers that want to buy and eat that crap. Not one in the business I know or knew was in it to provide jobs as a reason to get into the bus.. It was for the proprietor to have a sense of accomplishment, be their own boss, the opportunity to earn more money than working for wages.( sometimes was the case) However like me, 60 hour weeks were the norm.
I strongly suspect the government will implement something along the line where wages will remain low for young workers. If they perform like seasoned workers, some could, I again suspect it will be taken advantage of and seasoned, experienced workers will be let go to save a few bucks an hour. Such is business I guess.

When required, I have no problem in paying a worker more if they have the skill set I need at the time. I'm a bit seasonal so as the winter months are slow I'm fine by myself.

In my past life, I did pay very well and provided all kinds of benefits, but it was a select skill set.
If I may, I suspect you are in the hospitality business, and I do hope any mandated wage increase works as a benefit to you or your business. Might just have a few more motivated workers and perhaps the turnover and training won't be as common. I don't like seeing business's fail if the owners are really trying to operate in a smart way. believe me.

Now, off to the Saltair pub to be extravagant and have some fish and chips and a beer....

[flamingfingers]

Still seems to me that over the past years when minimum wage was held firm, prices still seemed to go up.

Why would this be the case when wages were static?

[maryjane48]

Still seems to me that over the past years when minimum wage was held firm, prices still seemed to go up.

Why would this be the case when wages were static?

heres some prices from 1974c

[HorganIsMyHero]

Why do people keep saying that the extra money given to employees is lost profit? The employees for the most part are the ones earning the company money and they obviously need to be healthy and happy to do so and money is needed for practically everything in life.

[Omnitheo]

A 50 cent wage increase for a small business. lets say two employees at full time. 80 hours times 50 cents. $40. a week. If your small business cannot take that hit you are in trouble. Or, you could increase the price of what you sell by an average of about a penny each and probably still make money.

Raising it to $15 and hour for two employees is over $300 more a week, or $1200+ a month. That could be the only profits the business currently sees and will need to cut down to one employee to keep the business profitable or be forced to shut down if one employee cannot run it.

For a McDonald's location that has about 6 to 12 employees on shift at any given time will see extra costs at minimum of $4000 extra per month. For their 1,400 locations in Canada, let's say that 200 are in BC. That translates to $800,000 per month of lost profit or 9.6 million for the year, just for BC! I bet they will spend that 9.6 million now, before it becomes extra cost in research & development to come up with more automation to replace the people who grill the food, the people who operate the tills (almost phased out already), etc.

Edit: What I said above, or now your Big Mac meal will cost you $18. This could possible reduce the gap between the middle class and lower class to a point where more than ever are at the poverty line, or employers with higher paid employees will need to raise their wage. This move could and I think will just devalue money spent in BC.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.2603689

The fast food chain’s chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, brought home a whopping $7.91 million last year — a 368% raise over his 2014 salary of $1.69 million —while low-wage McDonald’s workers are striking around the country for a livable income.

He also enjoyed the use of the company’s corporate aircraft, an allowance for a company car, free financial planning services and other unspecified personal items totaling $224,235, according to company filings obtained by Crain’s Chicago Business.

Maybe Steve shouldn't be taking 7 million dollar bonuses if the company is so hurting over minimum wage.

Also the automation at mcdonalds started long ago. 15 years or so ago, when I worked there making 6.50$/hour (bc training wage), working up to 500 hours at that rate to move to $8 an hour, Mcdonalds showed us a video where they were trialling the exact order boards you see in locations today. so little to do with 11/hour or 15/hour. Automation is going to occur either way regardless of wages, so it's a moot point in this discussion.

[Sparki55]

Also the automation at mcdonalds started long ago. 15 years or so ago, when I worked there making 6.50$/hour (bc training wage), working up to 500 hours at that rate to move to $8 an hour, Mcdonalds showed us a video where they were trialling the exact order boards you see in locations today. so little to do with 11/hour or 15/hour. Automation is going to occur either way regardless of wages, so it's a moot point in this discussion.

That's funny, because I worked at McDonald's, but started 9 years ago. There was no video like your post states.

I also started at the training wage but after 150 hours I convinced the store manager to bump me up and she did after an agreed upon 200 hours. I went on to be promoted all the way to team leader in 3 years and was making around what the recent minimum wage increase was, just over $11 an hour.

I quit after taking on a labor job to pay for school and made more money. The store manager was a little upset and offered a late night supervisor job and a raise to keep me on but it wasn't enough.

Hard work pays. Don't ask for handouts and a living wage, go work your off for it and good things will come. If they don't at your current job, move on to somewhere with someone who will respect and reward your 120% effort and attitude. If you aren't worth more than minimum wage and can be replaced instantly then there is no incentive to give a raise to keep you around. I don't promote subsidizing the lazy worker.

[maryjane48]

that isnt the case for everyone spark . people often make the mistake of thinking their own personal experiance is true accross the board . as a whole canada british columbia needs to look at what helps the most while having the least economic impact . i personaly think it is a guarenteed annual income . it reduces millions in admiastrative costs puts similar services under same tent and gives people a semblance of self respect .


to just say well work harder is part of the problem and not seeing the reality of what life is really like for to many canadians. the biggest example is the colonist system of indian act . its still law in canada . and the welfare system that depends on people not working

[Gone_Fishin]

METRO ANNOUNCES AUTOMATION AS RESULT OF MINIMUM WAGE SPIKE


Posted by Breaking News | Aug 18, 2017 | Breaking News, Business, Canadian News
Metro Announces Automation as result of Minimum Wage Spike




Ontario’s third-largest grocery chain will accelerate its study of automation as it looks to cut the expected $50 million dollars costs of the provincial government’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. This cost does not include the expected salary costs of increasing the salaries of other positions to compensate them for their experience and time spent at the firm.

The CEO explained that the industry is under heavy pressure and given very little time to adjust given both competition in the market and the rapid speed of wage increases.

STARK LABOUR COSTS

snip

Metro is not the only firm expected to actively work to offset costs, nor is it the firm facing the largest.

CORPORATE RESPONSE
Firms like Loblaw and Walmart will be expected to pay hundreds of millions if not billions in new wages. Although this could mean billions more in local economies and could allow for more business to grow it is likely that large firms will reduce their workforce first.

An economic analysis commissioned by the Keep Ontario Working Coalition found that 185,000 jobs could be at risk as Ontario businesses stand to take a $23-billion hit within two years of the implementation of Bill 148.

http://thepostmillennial.com/metro-anno ... age-spike/