Judge rejects request to stop state's minimum-wage increase

[Casino67]

SeattleTimes:

OLYMPIA, Wash. —

A Kittitas County judge on Wednesday rejected a request to halt a 12-cent increase to the state's minimum wage that takes effect this weekend.

Superior Court Judge Scott Sparks ruled against the summary judgment request made by a coalition of business groups that sued the state last month over the decision to raise the minimum wage to $8.67 an hour.

The groups opposed to the increase argue that the minimum wage can't be increased in 2011 because this year's Consumer Price Index did not reflect a net increase in the cost of living since 2008. A voter initiative ties the state's minimum wage to the index.

The coalition opposed to the increase includes the Washington Farm Bureau, the Washington Restaurant Association and the Washington Retail Association. Messages left with the groups Wednesday were not immediately returned.

Suchi Sharma, an attorney with the state's Department of Labor and Industries who attended Wednesday's hearing in Ellensburg, said that the group's lawsuit remained active, but that under the judge's ruling, the minimum wage will increase on Saturday as scheduled.



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Has a reliable study been done that shows raises like this hurt the ones it is designed to help? How does a small business pay this to hire entry-level employees?

[Rokke]

I don't have the study, but I think I recall one that showed increasing the minimum wage decreases the number of employment opportunities. Which would hurt those who actually want to be employed. The irony is, a 12 cent per hour increase can't really help the average worker out that much. For easy math, assume a 10 hour work day. That gains you $1.20 on the day or $6.00 a week. That buys you a McDonald's breakfast. Orrrr...your employer could reduce his workforce by one to cover the increase spread across several employees, and we have one more person on the street.