A poll funded by the restaurant industry found people overwhelmingly support raising the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour and many aren’t buying the industry’s talking points, The Intercept reports.
The National Restaurant Association, which has painted a doomsday scenario about potential wage increases and dumped money into lobbying efforts, paid for the poll. Along with finding 71 percent support among those surveyed for raising the minimum wage, the poll found that 71 percent of people support increasing wages, “even if it also increases the cost of food and service to customers.”
The poll also tested different messages about the issue, hinting at where the industry’s talking points may be shifting. When asked about alternatives to raising the minimum wage, poll respondents supported more job training and tax cuts “so that employees have more take-home pay.” Read more about the poll and see the leaked slide deck here.
Here in Seattle, business owners, newspaper opinion writers, and other Very Important Thought Leaders warned that raising the minimum wage could raise prices or kill small businesses. In the three years since the wage hike took effect, new restaurants have continued to open—even some run by the naysayers. Research has been less clearcut, with a Berkeley study finding the wage increase hasn’t cost jobs and a University of Washington study finding it has. (The lead author of the Berkeley report has criticized UW researchers’ methods.)
Seattle’s minimum wage will gradually increase to $15 an hour for all workers. Today, it ranges from $11.50 and $15.45, depending on the size of the business and benefits. Whether that wage is being adequately enforced is another question.
