Proponents of a ballot measure to tell our bosses how much employees should be paid, regardless of skill or experience, say they have enough signatures to get the initiative on the ballot in November.
These are the same folks who organize social media boycotts against the big box stores and urge us to shop local.
Ironically, this ballot measure threatens to shutter those same small businesses they claim to support, while driving prices even higher in the discount chain stores.
Supporters want to hike the minimum wage to $12 an hour, well above the federal standard of $7.25 an hour. They claim it’s not a living wage, which is true — that’s why it’s called a minimum wage.
Minimum wage is not something workers are meant to aspire to, it’s a starting point in a job, where working hard and gaining experience leads to higher wages.
What’s next? A ballot initiative granting two hour lunches? Sick leave and vacation time? Or maybe term limits for jobs so that everyone has the same opportunity to high-paying entry-level positions?
It’s a bad idea to start dictating the terms of employment for tens of thousands of jobs, because not all jobs are equal, not all employees have equal skills. It’s time to draw a line on putting every whim and political or social trend on general election ballots, and this initiative is a good place to start.