Editor:
Re: Minimum-wage boost will ‘do more harm than good’, Aug. 18.
It seems Cliff Annable of the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce and Anita Huberman of the Surrey Board of Trade have the same crazy idea that increasing minimum wage is going to mean fewer jobs or, heaven forbid, businesses having to contribute more for their employees’ Canada Pension Plan.
The study done by the University of Washington, which claims increasing the minimum wage forced smaller employers to cut back on hours and staff, was flawed; the data used excluded 40 per cent of the workforce.
Even history shows that an increase in wages does not necessarily equate to a lost of jobs. From 2013-2014, 13 states raised their minimum wages, and guess what? Most of those states saw an increase in job growth.
A study of minimum wage increases, 1938-2009, by the National Employment Project in the U.S. showed a 68 per cent overall employment increase and as much as an 82 per cent increase in hospitality jobs. Even Walmart has admitted increasing its wages has increased its profits.
When people make more, they spend more. This, in turn, boosts the economy. Businesses will not survive if people do not have disposable income.
According to the BC Labour Federation, 500,000 people in B.C. earn less than $15 an hour. This is disgraceful.
Susan Ellis, White Rock
