Emails show Seattle mayor worked to undermine $15 minimum wage study

Washington Examiner ^ | July 27, 2017 | by Sean Higgins

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Emails between the Seattle mayor's office and an economist at the University of California, Berkeley show that the mayor's staff tried to deliberately undermine a University of Washington study showing that the city's $15 minimum wage ordinance was harming the city's low-income workers.

The emails show the staff went to great lengths to publicize the Berkeley economist's report and downplay the other report's findings.

"Tomorrow's release will just highlight your study, correct (ie leave the critique of the UW study until later)? … Don't want your positive news to serve as a teaser for the UW study," wrote Carlo Caldirola-Davis, senior adviser to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray in a July 19 email to Berkeley economist Michael Reich. The emails were first reported by the Seattle Weekly, which obtained them through a public disclosure request.

Reich's report, released June 20, touted the economic benefits of the city's increase of the minimum wage to $13 an hour in 2016, up from $9.32 in 2013 and part of a scheduled phase-in to $15 by 2018.

The University of Washington study was released June 26 as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research. For advocates of a $15 minimum wage, it was a rude shock, finding that the increase to $13 had sharply reduced wealth among low-wage workers because of job losses and reductions in hours worked. Businesses used both methods to mitigate the sharp increase in labor costs they faced.

Neither Reich nor the Seattle mayor's office responded to requests from comment.

[stylin19a]

whoa...what’s gotten into the looney left. The Baltimore mayor vetoed a 15 buck minimum wage.
You’ll never believe why.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2017/03/24/mayor-pugh-vetoes-15-minimum-wage-bill/

[olezip]

Emails between the Seattle mayor's office and an economist at the University of California, Berkeley show that the mayor's staff tried to deliberately undermine a University of Washington study showing that the city's $15 minimum wage ordinance was harming the city's low-income workers.

Undermining or "fixing" studies is a Communist tactic, now being used by the left, especially Democrats.

The Seattle mayor did not want to expose the number of low income workers whose wage went to $0.00.

[Jim W N]

University of Washington study showing that the city's $15 minimum wage ordinance was harming the city's low-income workers

Common sense but these days you need expensive, lengthy studies to prove what you know by common sense. Wage controls ALWAYS leads to loss of business, loss of economic advantage, economic hardship, and lower standard of living.

Company's price based on cost -> Wages a major part of cost -> minimum wage FORCES higher wages -> FORCES higher costs -> FORCES higher prices which means less business *OR* layoff employees to keep costs & prices down.

There, did it in two minutes for free.

DUH!!!

[blueunicorn6]

Isn’t this the mayor who raped his own foster son?

What a surprise that he’s crooked.

[the_Watchman]

Improving the economic lot of any class of citizen is NOT the goal of minimum wage.

The goal of minimum wage is to keep a large swath of people from working and at the mercy of government largess.

This is the economic situation in Australia and many socialist countries in the EU.

Those people who are on the dole are very reliable voters for socialist policies to increase government control and share the wealth (or share the misery).

[Sergio]

Bkmk

[OttawaFreeper]

Because we all know that socialism does not work...thump...socialism does not work...thump...socialism does not work...thump...socialism does not work..

[BobL]

We have lots of relatives in Seattle and used to go downtown for big (i.e., expensive) meals...often costing close to $1,000. No more. They’re good cooks and that is EXACTLY what they’re now doing - same people, almost the same food, but at 25% (at most) of the cost.