Luncheon Hears Both Sides of Minimum Wage Increase

Author: KSRM News Desk |

The September 30 joint luncheon began with a quick poll for audience members in regards to raising minimum wage.

 

When asked how many people present thought passing ballot measure #3 would be a positive or negative impact on local economy, 21 said positive, 15 said negative.

 

Ari Gardner with Alaskans for Minimum Wage gave a presentation on why people should be for raising the minimum wage.

 

Gardner: “It’s been 11 years since there was a meaningful increase in the minimum wage and prices has continued to grow as the spending power of the minimum wage has continued to decline, so this is just retroactively adjusting the minimum wage to inflation” 

 

He used the example that last time the Alaska legislature increased the minimum wage in 2002 and there was no immediately evident increase in costs, even though overall the cost of living in Alaska continues to increase.

 

The audience was also asked how many who owned businesses paid their employees minimum wage, to which only six said yes and 30 said no.

 

Rachel Petro with the State of Alaska Chamber of Commerce said only about 3%of Alaskans currently make minimum wage and said the statewide chamber is against ballot measure #3.

 

Petro: “We believe its a fundamental core value of the free enterprise system that business should be setting the minimum for their employees, not the government. Thats just a fundamental difference, so there is lots of different data to go back and forth but fundamentally we believe its the business owner, it’s the employers and the employee, its that relation that should define what an employee is worth”

 

Both sides agreed that increasing minimum wage would affect pay scales across the board.

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