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Originally Posted by pan6467
Look, when I owned my pizza place I paid my workers $7.50/hour in 1995, and those that worked hard (cleaned and what not without being asked) got raises monthly.. Plus they got tips and mileage (25 cents a mile). I kept my prices below the nationals, I used the best products available (usually paying top dollar to the distributor because I only owned 1 shop). And I still made beaucoup profits.
WHY?
Because, my workers knew I valued them, they were part of the "team" . Their friends and families saw a new pride in them and started buying from me. I helped my workers get apartments, gave them advances for their deposits if needed, made sure they made enough to pay the bills and have 1 night out. They paid me back by being loyal, working hard, and helping me increase business by giving me ideas, giving me a good rep and showing pride in the job. My sales increased from roughly $2500 a week when I bought the place to $10,000 weekly in 3 months.
So my business plan worked flawlessly:
- pay more to the workers (who btw got more in tips and mileage because of the business increase)
- use the best quality product
- sell cheaper
- and I donated the entire night's monies to charity every 1st Tuesday of the month.
I was making a very nice salary and had I not gambled it away with my addiction, there is no doubt in my mind, I would have a chain of Partner's Pizzas.
My point is it is ridiculous to claim any CEO is worth millions while paying the worker squat. You don't get company loyalty that way, you don't build a customer base that way and you sure as Hell can't justify it.
I justified my wages because my workers were well paid also and I could sleep at night.
I have watched others pay as little as possible and lose their business even though they had great product, they had lousy service and no employee loyalty.
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Then why are you in favor of government mandated pay levels? Based on your argument, by being allowed to set the prices for your workers you developed a successful business plan. While others who only paid their employees as little as they could went under. It looks like the market is working and you should be in favor of letting the market dictate the wages.
Also, minimum wage increases are supported by unions more than anyone else. Once the minimum wage increases the unions are able to lobby for wage increases for their members since the lowest wage earners are earning so much more now, then the unions can collect more dues.
And if this minimum wage increase arguement is about a living wage and caring for the poor, why aren't the socialists on this board upsed that the suggested minimum wage increase was only a dollar and change? - if you wanted a truely livable wage, you would stop nothing short of demanding a minimum wage of $17 an hour. If you are not happy with a $6 minimum wage, why would you be happy with a $7 minimum wage? Whats an extra $10 a day going to do for anyone? And you might as well argue that everyone should be taxed 100% on anything over $34,000, and that money be given to those who make less, this way everyone can have the same liveable standards.
Or better yet, build a time machine and travel back to the soviet union, or hell, just move to modern day cuba where a doctor and a janitor make the same measly dollars each month. but now every cuban has the opportunity to buy pressure cookers from the government on credit. But they finally got the pressure cooker, thats the good news.