RSVP for our meeting at 863-838-2084 and to our GOT CANDY Meet & Greet
RSVP for our very first chamber member meeting. Email your your rsvp to prhccpc@gmail.com or text 863-838-2084 Special Guest and lots of great info for 2014. Light continental breakfast available
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GOT CANDY ribbon cutting ceremony RSVP to 863-838-2084 Great opportunity for networking during the meet & greet by LBL
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Happy Birthday Maitee Grana O'Connor and Tony Delgado
Taking applications for Miss Polk Latina / Orientation is FEB 15
Please share our website www.misspolkllatinainc.com
SAVE THE DATE : JUNE 22 , 2014 for The VIVA PINE FEST
Block Party & Parade Downtown Lakeland
More information at our Jan 29 meeting
Non Food Booths $100 / Food Booths $150 & Non for Profits $50
Parade Participation $35
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This weeks BLOG : To raise or not to raise? That is the question.
October 2013 brought us ACA aka Obamacare. January 2014 has brought
the raising of the minimum wage. So far 13 states including ours is involved in this new subject.
To many both is a sort of blessing and to many others it is an annoying issue affecting the bottom dollar. But never the less it is a topic needed to place much attention to. Take a look below :
Arizona$7.90
Colorado$8.00 / Connecticut $8.70 / Florida $7.93 / Missouri $7.50 Montana$7.90 / New Jersey$8.25 / New York $8.00/ Ohio$7.95 / Oregon $9.10 Rhode Island $8.00 / Vermont $8.73 / Washington $9.32
Now the latest news is to raise it even higher to $10.10 by the President in the news this past week. But it is a hard pill to swallow for both the small business owner and the employee as well.
The question here is will raising the minimum wage help workers be more productive ? Will this new surge allow them to pay into their not yet paid for healthcare? Will they spend more? Will it really take people out of poverty ?
I remember one time asking this exact question to a woman who worked for the company I worked for in 1984. Minimum wage then was somewhere around $4.12 an hour. I simply asked her how did she survive with her salary? Her name was Aura and she was originally from Dominican Republic. She was one of our sample makers in the design room. She told me that her salary was ok , her husband worked as well and she did custom work for clients at home. Took in sometimes piece work at home and had two other women who also helped her. She was building a home in the DR and her husband would also drive a gypsy cab two or three times a week. But of course this is a long time ago , her rent was $180 a month , and for some reason she made it work without a HS diploma and with a language barrier. She received two weeks Christmas Bonus when companies did such a thing and a yearly raise negotiated by her Women's Garment Workers Union. But she worked in a large company. Now her best friend who also worked in the sample room made $210 a week. The reason for her higher pay , it was experience and tenure at the company.
But my blog is should we or shouldn't we? This is something that has to be looked at seriously. One thing that I know is that these wage earners have the ability to receive better perks than many. Subsidies etc. Those in the higher tax bracket unfortunately do not. Like myself. But I went to school , received a great opportunity and have never really worked with a per hour salary , it has always been a flat salary with no overtime and now here in FL with zero raises and zero bonuses.
I have always been a fan of a FLAT TAX theory and also of hiring someone based on their experience and schooling. But I am also an advocate for lowering prices or better yet lowering prices on items that can be lowered. But no matter how you flip it allowing people to better themselves I am all for it. But to allow those to goose the establishment , well I am not.
2014 is going to bring many to review their P & L's , their operational numbers. Deciding in hiring more personnel or give more hours to their current staff. Instead of subsidies for housing or food , how about lowering the prices on things like gasoline , food , mass transportation , etc. Opening the conversation on the pipeline , bringing more lost industry back to our shores and becoming more competitive in the worlds marketplace.
Let's keep the dialog going on this issue. many will be looking to it become a positive situation.
the raising of the minimum wage. So far 13 states including ours is involved in this new subject.
To many both is a sort of blessing and to many others it is an annoying issue affecting the bottom dollar. But never the less it is a topic needed to place much attention to. Take a look below :
Arizona$7.90
Colorado$8.00 / Connecticut $8.70 / Florida $7.93 / Missouri $7.50 Montana$7.90 / New Jersey$8.25 / New York $8.00/ Ohio$7.95 / Oregon $9.10 Rhode Island $8.00 / Vermont $8.73 / Washington $9.32
Now the latest news is to raise it even higher to $10.10 by the President in the news this past week. But it is a hard pill to swallow for both the small business owner and the employee as well.
The question here is will raising the minimum wage help workers be more productive ? Will this new surge allow them to pay into their not yet paid for healthcare? Will they spend more? Will it really take people out of poverty ?
I remember one time asking this exact question to a woman who worked for the company I worked for in 1984. Minimum wage then was somewhere around $4.12 an hour. I simply asked her how did she survive with her salary? Her name was Aura and she was originally from Dominican Republic. She was one of our sample makers in the design room. She told me that her salary was ok , her husband worked as well and she did custom work for clients at home. Took in sometimes piece work at home and had two other women who also helped her. She was building a home in the DR and her husband would also drive a gypsy cab two or three times a week. But of course this is a long time ago , her rent was $180 a month , and for some reason she made it work without a HS diploma and with a language barrier. She received two weeks Christmas Bonus when companies did such a thing and a yearly raise negotiated by her Women's Garment Workers Union. But she worked in a large company. Now her best friend who also worked in the sample room made $210 a week. The reason for her higher pay , it was experience and tenure at the company.
But my blog is should we or shouldn't we? This is something that has to be looked at seriously. One thing that I know is that these wage earners have the ability to receive better perks than many. Subsidies etc. Those in the higher tax bracket unfortunately do not. Like myself. But I went to school , received a great opportunity and have never really worked with a per hour salary , it has always been a flat salary with no overtime and now here in FL with zero raises and zero bonuses.
I have always been a fan of a FLAT TAX theory and also of hiring someone based on their experience and schooling. But I am also an advocate for lowering prices or better yet lowering prices on items that can be lowered. But no matter how you flip it allowing people to better themselves I am all for it. But to allow those to goose the establishment , well I am not.
2014 is going to bring many to review their P & L's , their operational numbers. Deciding in hiring more personnel or give more hours to their current staff. Instead of subsidies for housing or food , how about lowering the prices on things like gasoline , food , mass transportation , etc. Opening the conversation on the pipeline , bringing more lost industry back to our shores and becoming more competitive in the worlds marketplace.
Let's keep the dialog going on this issue. many will be looking to it become a positive situation.
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