$12 minimum wage proposal sees tepid response

Brad Carlson

“I work with a lot of bigger businesses who aren’t paying minimum wage,” Bennett said. “It doesn’t’ matter as much for many of them.”

If House Bill 2672 started gaining traction in Olympia, Southwest Washington business owners might become more vocal, Parker speculated, because small businesses have historically watched the issue carefully.

In a non-scientific poll on the Vancouver Business Journal’s website, 65 percent of respondents said they oppose a $12 minimum wage in the state.

Restaurant owners, meanwhile, have been more vocal about their opposition than other businesses.

“For restaurants, there is a great concern about increasing the minimum wage, because their margins have become so lean, with the increase in the cost of food, the increase in the cost of workers compensation,” Parker said. “We do see restaurants that cannot sustain themselves in this environment.”

The Chamber of Commerce will tell members that are watching the issue about any upcoming hearings, Parker said.

In the meantime, Parker said she is focused on other legislative priorities that have drawn stronger responses from chamber members.

A proposal to make it harder for Oregonians to take advantage of a sales tax break could seriously hurt Washington retailers along the border, she said.

“It won’t net the state money, because they’ll lose Oregon business. You’ll hurt businesses here in Clark County without any net gain to the state of Washington,” she explained.

Parker said she’s also concerned about transportation funding from Olympia, and wants to make sure that Southwest Washington projects are treated fairly by the state.
After that?

“We would just like the Legislators to adjourn and go home,” Parker said, with a laugh.

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