I took a dif job than walmart I was offered 8.95 there and 10.25 somewhere else.

Walmart has been blunt of people for to long
There starting wage is above min wage. 8.95 an hour. and when a store can offer better prices Ill be going to Walmart!!! When I can buy paint for 6.00 less a gal then ill get it at wallys. yesterday i checked 2 dif places and Wally was the best. And this article is about min wage increase which is a must with the economy the way it is. That raise is not even close to the price increase we have had.IMO

oh and even if Wisconsin doesn't pass this Federal always trumps state law currently federal min wage is 6.55 state is 6.50

the federal min wage is going to go up to 7.50 an hour on June 1st 2009 so Wisconsin jumping it up 10 cents isn't really gonna make a difference

I just assumed that the legislature was talking about increasing their wages. Oh wait, if they increase everyone else's, they certainly deserve a nice increase for themselves. We'll just borrow some more money and start writing checks. Too bad the state can't just print more money like the federal government does.

Right on RUSerious and lakennedy. This country is for the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE, not the COMPANIES. Some of you amaze me at the lack of compassion you have for your fellow man. Unless you've walked in the shoes of someone scraping by on 6.50 an hour, quit your bellyachin'. Stop looking down your noses at those who don't have degrees and have to earn a living doing menial work. All jobs, skilled or non-skilled, are necessary. Everybody deserves to earn a living wage. lakennedy said it best: "The same people who piss and moan about those who have to use government aid because they can't find a business who will pay a decent wage are whining about an actual solution." And by the way, I'm sick of reading Dems this and Republicans that. The party system is tearing this country apart. We are ALL Americans. We used to look out for one another. We used to care about each other. Now it's every man for himself. Divided we FAIL.

No one is forced to shop at Walmart anymore then they are forced to shop at Kohl's. It's called choice. I shop where I want and don't begrudge anyone their right to shop where they want.
Business' have the right to set the wages they pay while the government should offer a standard living wage guideline. How much longer before the government steps in and sets the wages for ALL positions? We want the government to set minimum wages and it looks like we want it to step in and set wages for CEO's. We, as a nation, have to make a decision as to how much we want the Government to control our lives. We have to make a decision as to who knows best to how to run a business and pay its employees a decent wage while still making a profit to keep the business in business. We've seen how the government manages its finances, do we really want them to manage ours?

A prospective employee says to a small business owner, "I want you to pay me a living wage, but this is also what I want you to pay for me" . . . .
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My health insurance, my life insurance, my vacations, my sick leave, my pension plan, short and long term disability along with the other mandated taxes you have to pay to employ me (fed and state unemployment taxes, workers compenstation, social security/medicare,etc.) and then maybe I will think about showing up to work.
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Small businesses are just that, small businesses. If you have never owned one, you really do not know what it takes to run one. It really is not as easy as you think.

I think Walmart sucks at times prices on food there are getting high . Not big on selection either. I think its all a joke. minwage gets higher but people who make just a little bit more don't get anything more.So you work 15 years plus to have a kid come in off the street making the same or more than you. You think your doing good then wham another slap in the face. And for the $10 for 90 day pills that is a joke I have insurance and still pay $100 for one med a month guess I'm paying for others

Another blow to the small business person.

The restaurant small operators will go down fast. Lets say a a small place has 6 employees.
Open from 11-11 7 days a week. The new $1.10 cost to business is a extra $554.40 per week. If business dose not increase the customers base to match wages, somebody gets the axe.
Madison needs to make unemployment compensation a living wage.

Wal-mart has done more for the low income people than the government has ever done for them. Look at the prescription plans they have you can get 90 days of medicine for $10.

Seems the majority here are against mandatory min wage increase. Think the government will legislate something else the citizens never asked for nor wanted ?

First thought, why does Wisconsin “need” a law when the Federal level already has one? It is not like we have a higher cost of living than the rest of country. Currently the state law has the level set below the federal law level. A simple solution would be to tie it to the federal level and then just get back to the business they were elected to do—run the state.
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To all the “feel good” thoughts on living wage, moral obligations, and greedy business owners…drop the emotion and look at this from a logical and not an emotional view. Like it or not employee costs (wages) are a business expense; not a right. Wages are set based on what the position is worth (determined by the employer) not what the employee thinks “they” are worth. There are very limited positions in this country where an employee can walk in and say I am worth this $ so pay me that. Before the arguments come about there not being a business without employees (what came first the chicken or the egg), you need to remember that employees are a commodity just like any other commodity. If you need highly skilled and ambitious people to fill your positions you are going to pay considerably more than having someone run a cash register---so the value to the employer is not the same and the business expense reflects this. To change your value to an employer you must have something they need; skills, work ethic, and professionalism to name a few.

In an enconomic downturn this is reality. Higher taxes, forcing small business to pay another minimum wage hike kills jobs. So the gov gets less. Running two business I had to survive and go where the profit is. Taxes are #11 highest in nation. Government is the problem. Madison needs to balance their own budget, keep their nose out of ours.

"We have a school of thought that believes very strongly that increases in the minimum wage causes firms to fire minimum wage workers, so higher minimum wages harm the very people it is designed to help.

I am a reasonable man, and understand the theory very well. But my problem is that I'm a semi-retired business economist -- one that does not forecast --and for my entire career I have been driven by what the data says. But the data does not support the theory that increasing the minimum wage leads to a decline in minimum wage employment."
http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2008/06/mi...
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And if you want an actual economic study, there was one recently that looked at the two years in a row that Illinois hiked its minimum wage, 2004 and 2005.
http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/IBR/2008/fal...
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This is a popular myth, but it is just that: a myth.

When Madison raised the minimum wage in 2007, we layed off one worker. The estimated job loss or new delayed hiring cost 248,000 jobs. When Madison raised taxes on license plates, I plated one car instead of 2. When my business license & business property taxes increased, we shut the doors 2008. Minimum wage is for first time workers and people that want to earn extra income working a second job. It is not a career to retire from. $7.60 an hour is not a living wage!

How wonderful - another unfunded mandate. And the massive exodus continues out of wisconsin.

A huge deficit is looming as spending is out of control and all these clowns want to do first is political paybacks? It' easy to see who's pulling the strings in Madison.
Goodbye spending caps, so long QEO, hello 7% sales tax with an extra 1 1/2% for the county and spiraling property taxes to go along with our plunging home values. Now that's change we can believe in.

The increase in minimum wages will do nothing except to be used by the political party as a talking point on how they care for the "little people". Nothing changes. Business' will raise prices to offset the increase, so again, what changed?

Well said, Unidentified.

Very few establishments pay minimum wage to begin with. The whole moral obligation argument is a bit of a stretch. As I mentioned earlier, most places prefer to keep staff due to the high cost of turnover. As a result, most places will pay more than minimum wage for this reason. Moreover, to argue that the $1.10 an hour increase is taking someone from a lousy wage to a living wage doesn't make sense either. If the goal was to create a living wage, then we would be looking at 12-15 dollars an hour. The states average wage is 14 dollars. However, for new businesses looking to locate somewhere, the high taxes and higher minimum wage will force them to look elsewhere. In addition, companies that are teetering financially, will probably cut staff to make up the difference, which does nothing more than force the remaining staff to work harder and cuts jobs further. This whole proposal is nothing more than a political stunt. Moreover, the timing is horrid. We should be looking to promote job creation. Our problem lies more with lack of jobs than it does with wage scales.

Spark:the economic principle applies to both. People shop at Wal-mart because they can purchase more for less, just as people eat at less expensive restaurants for the same reason.

You are asking people to spend their money at various places, not just the cheap ones, so that businesses can survive, but on the other hand, those same businesses aren't morally obligated to give employees a decent wage? It can't be both ways, people go where they can afford to go, and if their boss doesn't pay them enough to shop at his own store, he also can't holler because the cheaper place gets the lower waged people's business.
And you think people who want better wages ("non-skilled") should get a higher education to make more money? Then who would work at the places that don't require a degree? There are jobs for all sorts of educational levels, they all should pay a decent wage (my objective for working is to make money-my boss's is to make MORE money), and certainly your marketing degree should earn you more than my high school education, but that doesn't mean my boss can get away with slave wages-and still expect the slaves to buy from him.

Mim. wage laws are easy for goverment to pass. Why? No cost to the government. Just less jobs.

You're also comparing restaurants, which there are multiple of, to one large chain store where people are buying EVERYTHING. Not a valid comparison.

Another reason why restaurants other than massive chains, can't survive in this town and Wal-Mart will. People won't spend a little extra on occasion.

Magneto-You say you shop at Walmart to save money so you can spend at restaurants, etc. I guarantee you aren't eating at one restaurant. That is my point. The money needs to be spent around. Do you know how many people buy everything at Wal-mart? That is killing other businesses and not helping anything. I may go to Menards to by some hardware, etc. once and awhile, but every chance I get I go to Ace Hardware instead. Spreading the dollar around. That's not happening with Wal-Mart.

Example: To date, I have never purchased a new car and no doubt if I did it would be of benefit to the auto worker who most certainly does make better than a living wage. But if I did, it would most certainly reduce my available cash to spend at other job creating business. I would consider purchasing a new car if the price was more reasonalbe however the auto worker would only be able to make a fair wage.

Why would a wage increase matter when the domocrats will just raise tax on everything else?

Workers do not exist in order to be employed, they exist to make money. In getting an education or trade you are making yourself more valuable to would be employers. Your existance itself doesn't qualify you for a decent paying job as perhaps it did 40 years ago.

I don't shop at Wal-Mart. They are part of the problem with our economy. You may pay a little less for products, but there is a much bigger cost in the long run.
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Funny thing is I think I actually spend LESS since I quit going to Wal-Mart. I don't buy stuff unless I need it now. I don't buy stuff just because it's a "great deal" and I might use it.

magneto-Do you eat at only one restaurant?

Business doesn't exist to employ people, it exist to make money. Wal-mart has a good thing going for it now, but a new company with a better business model could take them out. I shop at Wal-mart because in doing so I have more money to go out to eat, see a movie, etc. all of which creates more jobs.

Unidentified - I do blame them and I don't shop there. The lower cost of merchandise increases peoples buying power? Ya, at one store. One store cannot support a community. As all the democrats rant about, spread the wealth right? I don't get it.

The waitress in your example is not as important as the restaurant owner. If it weren't for the restaurant owner the waitress wouldn't have a job. He/she should work hard, learn and improve their skills, then shop those skills in the market place. If he/she is good, it won't take long to find better employment. If the restaurant owner feels his business would suffer without the waitress in question, he will be forced to offer better pay. The point is, a lot of the these jobs are entry level and shouldn't be viewed as the final stop. By working hard and improving your condition you will move up and make way for the new worker.

I'm one to blame those who shop at Wal-Mart. We are a country full of idiotic consumers. While their prices may seem low, the truth is you're paying a much higher price in the long run by choosing to shop there.
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On a side note, most of the crap you buy there will be in a landfill in a year, anyway.

magneto.
Watch what you write. You need people to do those jobs. The world needs ditch diggers, too. I don't care what your job is, if you wake up each day and go to work and do the job you were meant to, you should be paid a living wage. Simple as that. Everyone needs to remember that the people you think deserve to be making less are needed. A waitress is just as important as the restaurant owner, in fact even more important if you look at it closely.

I'm not one to blame Walmart, because the same people who blame them shop there. Granted, some local companies may close because a Walmart opens, but then again the lower cost of the merchandise sold at Walmart increases peoples buying power. This holds even more true with prescription drugs offered at Walmart. In addition, though they may pay less, the jobs at Walmart are typically more secure than those held at smaller companies. Moreover, not eveyrone at Walmart makes minimum wage. Overall I think it's essentially a neutral situation.

So, what's the idea Mr. Scott. Continue to let small businesses pay their employees less than a living wage?
It is a little frustrating that many owners of small businesses tell their employees that they can't afford to pay them more, but are living high on the hog themselves. I was in a debate about this with a small business owner. He is a very nice man, but couldn't stand the thought of Obama getting in office. His business would suffer, according to him. Then I went inside and his wife told me all about the new home they built and what style of swimming pool they've decided to go with. Does this sound right? I understand that he has worked hard to get where he is, but the people being employed work hard too. They are necessary. It is equally necessary to pay them a living wage. I won't apologize for that. It is not socialism, it is right. I am all for businesses to have their minimum wages raised. It should be done on a federal level, not just state.

With all the job programs and educational opportunities available you can work your way out of low paying jobs. It isn't Wal-Marts reponsibility to ensure that people who work for them improve their condition. You are in control of your future. Plan, execute, succeed.

If you think Walmart is going to support a town once small businesses are driven out, you're highly mistaken. They are part of the problem. Cost of working families? What about those working families that lost their jobs when the little man was booted out?

We have a VERY small business and we have NEVER paid less than $8/hour in the 8 years we have run our business.

i work at walmart and know a few there who only make 6.75/hr, so just because walmarts "done so much" doesnt mean they pay their employees well.

*Sigh.* Here we go.
Hey dems, why not get rid of the QEO as your first priority? Because you know that if you do that, you will be voted out of office en masse.

right on magneto1 regarding job growth in this country is occuring in states with low corporate taxes and Right to Work laws

Wal-Mart has done more to keep costs low for millions of working families than any well intended government program.

magneto1: I certainly agree with you on the tax issue. The evidence is clear on that.

I hope those people complaining about small businesses and wages don't shop at Wal-Mart. The number one small business killer around.

Even the big box stores pay more than the suggested increase. If you make less than 7.60 an hour, McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Walmart are all hiring.

Anyone wonder why the job growth in this country is occuring in states with low corporate taxes and Right to Work laws? Wisconsin is looking a lot like Michigan thanks to the Dems and Unions.

The minimium wage issue is political. Dems know Republicans will vote against and increase afterwhich the Dems will pound the Republicans as mean and heartless. Republicans should vote in favor and take the issue off the table.

Generally speaking, if a business can afford to pay more than minimum wage they do. Why? Because turnover, hiring, and training cost more than simply paying more per hour to maintain staff. If a business can't pay more than minimum wage, it's probably because they are either starting out or having financial difficulties. As a result, the only thing raising the minimum wage is going to do is force new businesses to look elsewhere and those that are struggling to pack it in.Some will simply cut staff to cover the cost. Between the high taxes and the state government meddling, I'm not sure why any business would locate here. The next step will be to extend unemployment and welfare programs, because no new jobs come to the state. That will be followed by huge state deficits.

I'm all for small business, but if they can't afford to pay a LIVING wage, maybe they should keep it small enough to be able to do all the work themselves (or have bigger families). How can we be only for businesses and not for individuals? And don't bring on the "get an education" thing-it has nothing to do with businesses still needing employees but wishing to pay them barely "gas money" wages.

Get real...I have worked for a small business (less than 60 people)for years, and they have never paid minimum wage to start, has always been more. No one is going to work for $6.50 anymore, WOW $260 a week before taxes. Small Businesses do mark ups almost every year to cover the increase in cost of running a business, but employees wages seem to never go up. Cost of living goes up every year, so why shouldn't wages?

Why would I want to open my business in Wisconsin when the government forces me to pay some artificially high wage? I'll go elsewhere. Maybe where it's warmer, or the mountains.

THIS is our first priority in the new legislative session? This, and the smoking ban? Come on, Dems, get a clue and do something to make this state more attractive to businesses with jobs, not to mention balancing the state budget.

Yeah, the problem is that most people who fight against minimum wage increases are doing just that; fighting against an increase, which is hard to justify with inflation the way it is. It seems nobody thinks to question the existance of a minimum wage at all. Seriously, if two parties voluntarily agree on a wage for a certain job, then the state should stay out of it. Minimum wage laws sound good on paper but don't really solve anything.

Say goodbye to small business, they won't be able to pay employees anymore.