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OUR VIEW Our View: State should monitor effects of higher minimum wage Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Feb. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Feb. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Prompted by the threat of two potential ballot measures to sharply raise the state minimum wage, Oregon lawmakers on Thursday passed a less drastic plan that would more gradually increase wages in a three-tier system. Gov. Kate Brown says she will sign the bill into law. Brown should do more that that. The governor and legislative supporters should actively campaign against the ballot measures if backers persist in pushing them, and lawmakers should carefully monitor the effects of the increases they passed, and adjust them if needed. The bill passed Thursday is less drastic than either of two ballot measures, one of which would set the statewide minimum at $15, the other at $13.50. The legislative plan would see the Portland-area minimum reach $14.75 in six years. The second tier, including Jackson and Josephine counties along with the Salem and Eugene areas, would gradually raise the minimum to $13.50, and the third tier, for Eastern Oregon plus Douglas, Coos and Curry counties, would get a $12.50 minimum in 2022. Annual increases would start at 50 cents this coming July 1, and subsequent increases would be no more than 75 cents in any given year. There are solid arguments for raising the minimum wage, among them the large number of adults who hold such jobs. The general rationale says full-time workers should not have to live in poverty, that increasing pay saves public assistance costs, and that workers with more money in their pockets will spend it, contributing to the overall health of the economy. It's hard to argue that a fast-food restaurant can't absorb 50 cents more per hour. That's $4 a day for a full-time worker. That could be covered with a negligible increase in prices. In six years, however, a Medford employer will be paying every minimum-wage worker $3.75 more per hour, or $30 more per day. For Portland-area employers the difference will be $5 an hour — $40 a day. Raising the lowest-paid workers will also put pressure on employers to give raises to workers making more than the minimum. All of that will have consequences, which could include significantly higher prices and fewer jobs overall, if employers cut staff to make up the difference. Undoubtedly, some will. The measure passed Thursday appears to be a reasonable compromise that protects rural parts of the state from having to keep up with Portland, and spreads out the increase, taking twice as long as the ballot measures to reach the highest minimum. Still, lawmakers should keep a close eye on the measure's effects on the state's economy and make necessary corrections in coming sessions. And since they passed this measure in part on the premise it was less harmful to small businesses than the ballot measures, they should back that up by opposing those ballot measures. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Feb. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM » 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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