Minimum Wage may not increase to $15 per hour

No wage increase for many survivors, according to Premier Doug Ford. This matters to survivors because so many of us work in minimum wage jobs during recovery and long term.

Good news according to economists that support Ford:

• high minimum wages prevent businesses from hiring more people. So lower wages create more (low paying) jobs.
• Lower minimum wages will allow more new businesses to start.

Bad news for survivors:

• The evidence for lost jobs from minimum wages does not seem to be very strong. In Seattle, an increase to $15 per hour had no effect on employment. In Ontario, individual businesses may have had trouble with the $14 increase but other companies have replaced those lost jobs.
• Survivors will be stuck with low wages that are insufficient for living in Toronto. It will be hard to live anywhere near to services.
• Higher minimum wages can reduce inequality in society. The rich person will not notice $1 extra dollar when they make $50 per hour, but a poor person will have a bigger improvement in lifestyle.

Fight for which side you support! //www.15andfairness.org/