You may not be sure about a higher minimum wage, but the arguments are familiar enough that you can probably recite them from memory. On one hand, people can’t support themselves on $9.47 an hour. On the other, small businesses would suffer if forced to pay more, and you’d need to take out a loan to afford anything off McDonald’s breakfast menu.
Does a rising tide lift all boats? Or does it prevent too many businesses from staying afloat?
An initiative filed earlier this month is poised to ask voters to take sides on the issue. It would gradually lift the state’s minimum wage each year, until it reached $13.50 in 2020. It would also require an hour of paid sick time for every 40 worked.
The initiative would allow cities to set higher requirements, so the $15 minimum wage approved by voters in the People’s Republic of SeaTac would be safe.
In our latest poll at HeraldNet.com, we asked whether you’d support the $13.50 initiative, and we got a firm answer: “Maybe.” The yeas and nays were evenly split at 46 1/2 percent each, with the “no” camp ahead by a few votes as of this writing. The other 7 percent said they weren’t sure.
Most of our poll’s voters hail from Snohomish County, which tends to be a pretty good barometer for the rest of the state — a nice, purple middle ground between deep blue Seattle and blood red Eastern Washington. If our poll is any indication, the initiative is going to be mighty contentious should it make the ballot.
And you know what a contentious campaign means: lots of dollars spent to flood the airwaves with advertising. More money would find its way to at least one needy group — our local TV stations.
— Doug Parry, @parryracer
Next up, with recent discussions about football and brain injuries, we’d like to know your opinion on kids playing football.
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