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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Council discusses ordinances on panhandling, sidewalk blocking ... Local Take: Is it down to Trump vs. Clinton? ... As It Was: Raggedy Ann in Ashland ... Council discusses ordinances on panhandling, sidewalk blocking ... Local Take: Is it down to Trump vs. Clinton? ... As It Was: Raggedy Ann in Ashland ... LOCAL TAKE Do you favor raising the minimum wage? Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Feb. 22, 2016 at 8:03 PM Updated Feb 22, 2016 at 8:04 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Feb. 22, 2016 at 8:03 PM Updated Feb 22, 2016 at 8:04 PM » Social News For ages, backers of a higher minimum wage say it’s smart to create a more prosperous workforce, as they will buy more stuff, thus increasing demand and production, so everyone wins. Opponents have said it just means more expense for business owners, which means costs passed along to consumers through higher prices, dampening demand and costing jobs. Both sides of this coin beg the question for the other side of the coin. Seattle passed a $15/hour minimum wage in 2015. Hourly job employment there is up some 20 percent from figures before the Great Recession, but it’s still phasing in and it’s hard to tell if that widely-sought goal of $15 is a good thing. The federal minimum wage is far from that — $7.25/hour. States with rates higher than that are mostly blue states, with better economies. States the same or below that tend to be red states, with the South almost solidly at or below the federal level or having no minimum at all, in which case the federal level applies. In real dollars (inflation adjusted), the federal minimum wage peaked in 1968 at $4.78, slid down to $2.66 in 2006 (as the Crash started) and is now $3.23. This comes from a baseline in 1947 of $1.95. The Democratically-controlled Oregon Legislature just passed a minimum wage of almost $15 in Portland counties by 2022 — and $13.50 in Jackson County. It’s $9.25 now, statewide. Ballot Measures for this November, not qualified as yet, call for an Oregon minimum wage, in stages, of $15 by 2019. Polls show this is favored 54-38 percent. Some 88,000 signatures must be gotten by July 1 to qualify. “We see with our own eyes how families in our communities struggle,” says Rep. Peter Buckley (D-Ashland), who co-carried the bill on the floor. “We see the pain, the worry, the lines and the empty shelves at our food banks. Our economy is strong, but too many families are struggling. The status quo is not acceptable. This bill is one step I believe we must take to help the working families of our state, and move towards fairness in Oregon’s economy.” Time Magazine called the law a “trailblazer” and makes Oregon’s wage the highest in the U.S. We asked Ashlanders what they thought of the new minimum wage law, expected to be signed by Gov. Kate Brown — and if they would support the $15/hour ballot measure, which would do the job in half the time. Sharon Wilson — It’s a good idea and will help workers survive and pay rent, which is high. I don’t know what it will do to shop owners and workers. If they cut it to part-timers and don’t get benefits, that’s not good. The wage needs to be higher. Maureen Hicks (declined photo) — It’s an excellent idea. It won’t be a problem in the Rogue Valley (with layoffs or higher retail prices). It should cause any troubles. It will help people be able to afford living here and paying the rent we have now. I’ve been here 20 years and the wage structure has always been terrible. There’s no evidence that higher minimum wage causes layoffs and higher prices. Lisa Spencer — It’s the right thing to do. I don’t know what the ripple effect will be, but from the perspective of social justice, they did a good thing in Salem. Helena Sohl — It’s good to raise the minimum wage because people can barely exist on anything less. It would probably encourage people not to try and hold two or three fulltime jobs. It’s tough for people to work more than one job. Barbara Swanson — It’s about time. People are not able to survive on minimum wage now and if they can’t survive, then there’s something wrong with what the country decided as a good minimum wage. No changes means nothing changes. That argument that it will lead to layoffs and higher prices may have some validity. But something’s got to give to make something happen and this could be it. I’m a small business owner in online marketing and I never pay anyone less than $20 an hour. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Feb. 22, 2016 at 8:03 PM Updated Feb 22, 2016 at 8:04 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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