The Cornhusker Guardian encourages voters to cast their ballots AGAINST Initiative 433 (which would raise the minimum wage in stages to $15 per hour) for the following reasons:
1. We are living in a very inflationary time, and this will only increase inflation and the upward pressure on pricing, thus pushing back the time by which our society will get inflation under control. And it is important to remember that inflation hurts lower income people more than anyone else.
2. This will create wage compression (i.e., someone making $15 an hour because of skills development accomplished over a period of years will now be made equal, wage-wise, to a new-hire who will ultimately be paid $15 per hour from day one). And this in turn will require a higher wage for longer term (and more skilled) workers, thus further contributing to inflation that hurts lower-wage earners the most.
3. It ignores the fact that today’s current minimum wage was not intended to be a “family” wage or even a wage that allows a person to support himself at a normal, middle class standard of living. It is in reality an entry-level or training wage that should encourage people to develop more skills so as to justify a higher wage. People in unusual circumstances (such as having a mental or other handicap) should have recourse to social programs that can help support them in a dignified way. It is a mistake, however, for average people simply to say, “Oh, I am a minimum wage worker and will stay that way for life.”
For the foregoing reasons, The Cornhusker Guardian recommends a vote AGAINST Initiative 433 on November 8th.
