“If anybody thinks that we’re giving up on this issue, they are sorely mistaken,” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Friday. “If we have to vote on it time and time again, we will and we’re going to succeed. The American people understand that we cannot continue to have millions of people working for starvation wages.”
In the lead up to the vote, many lawmakers, business executives and academics shared their views on the minimum wage. Here’s what some hourly workers and small business owners have to say:
Worker: Bettie Douglas
Bettie Douglas, 53, is a cashier at Which Wich Superior Sandwiches in St. Louis, Missouri.
She makes $10 an hour working behind the register and sometimes even prepares food. Douglas said the money she earns barely covers rent, bills and food.
“I deserve a liveable wage. Anyone who works deserves to take care of their families, feed their families, pay their bills, afford the necessities of life,” Douglas told CNN. “I’m not asking for a handout, I’m working as much as I can. $10 is just not making it, and $15 isn’t going to really make it either but at least it’ll help.”
Douglas said her low income impacts nearly every aspect of her life.
For example, she said her home appliances are breaking down and she can’t afford a technician to repair them, her home doesn’t have heat, and she can’t remember the last time she visited a doctor’s office.
“It’s really rough out here,” Douglas said. “I would love to talk to people who are against raising the minimum wage and see how long they could live off $10 an hour. Walk in my shoes, you wouldn’t survive for a day.”
Owner: Ji Hye Kim
Ji Hye Kim, 43, owns Miss Kim, a Korean restaurant, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“I’ve been a minimum wage worker before, I’ve been a tipped minimum wage worker, I’ve been $1 over the minimum wage, so when I opened the restaurant I decided we would pay people more than the minimum wage,” Kim told CNN. “All I can say is it’s always been a strength, not a weakness. There have been challenging moments but it has saved us money in the long run.”
Kim said paying staff more than minimum wage has helped reduce employee turnover and keep them motivated during difficult times, like the coronavirus pandemic.
She said most owners don’t realize that a proposed increase in the minimum wage would happen slowly over a number of years so that businesses can adjust.
“If you think about having a long term employee and they’re staying with you year after year and you’re not willing to go $1.50 an hour up every year, it’s shortsighted and ridiculous,” Kim said. “We are called the hospitality industry and we’re being so inhospitable to our own. Taking care of the most struggling in the…
Read More: $15 minimum wage: Here’s what hourly workers and small business owners