TOPEKA – The Sunflower state’s minimum wage will increase for the first time in about two decades to $7.25 in a bill passed by the House.
The issue has been a perennial goal for Democrats for several years but never gained traction. This year could change that.
The negotiated compromise for Senate Bill 160 passed 110-15 and now goes to the Senate where it is likely to pass and be sent to the governor’s desk.
Currently, Kansas’ minimum wage is $2.65. The state estimated about 19,000 Kansans would see their wages increase if the bill passes.
The increase would take effect Jan. 1, 2010.
6 Comments
What is the catch??
The “catch” is that the dinner at you favorite full service restaurant just increased by the same margin that you’ll hopefully decrease your server tip by.
The “catch” is that the KS media for some reason is not sharing the entire story on this issue. That being the ONLY people in KS who were making the $2.65 minimum were restaurant servers who weren’t really making $2.65 anyway.
It’s just shifting the costs around in a net wash, so that the emotion>reason set can sleep well at night.
from 2.65 to 7.25??? WOW! are you serious? it will be interesting to see how the community reacts from the employees to the owners….
Well, servers (who make tips) may have been the only ones making BARE minimum, but there are many others who make less than $7.25 per hour. Some regular retail cashiers make $6 per hour or less. So this will affect/help them.
Don’t forget the unions, they are always pushing for the minimum wage to go up, that’s because in all of their contracts, if the minimum wage goes up, then they also get a raise. Also, don’t forget about the people who are currently getting $7.25 an hour, their wages just dropped to minimum wage. That means a lot of the things that they once could afford, now they can’t because costs just went up. If raising the minimum wage really helps, then why not raise it up to $25.00 per hour? Hey $50 an hour is even better…. Right?
I’m a server and have been for 4 yrs now, I know it’s a job you don’t need to be skilled to do. So some think we don’t deserve to make minimum wage or more. I work hard I’m a single mom of 3, and am putting my way through college. I bust my ass 5 or 6 days a week working 40+ hours. I go in at 6 and am off by 1 but lately business has been slow so I now will stay til 4 on most days. I currently get 2.13 + tips. If the wage goes up some business can still get around paying us the 7.55 an hour, my job is saying we will get 4.36 an hour. Out of our pay we are taxed on the sales we have. My job claims 15% of our sales as tips and if we make over that we are to claim 100% of the difference. My checks are always 0. If the wage goes up my checks will more than likely still be less than $100. At my job we also have tip share where we tip out 2% of our sales. Everything is based on our sales not our tips so when we get $1 off a party of 5 or whatever we lose money by taking that table or worse when we get stiffed I still have to tip out on money I didn’t make. Servers have to work hard to make every dollar we get. We earn our money while others get paid no matter how much or little work they do. I still get 2.13 an hour and make about half of what I used to make a day, but myself and my kids still need to eat and have a place to stay. I choose my job because its one of the few that I can work the hours I want and make enough to support my family w/out assistance.