Minimum wage; increase to $10 per hour effective July 1, 2019. (SB1200)

No one can support themselves or their families, on $7.25/hr. This is especially true for those in Northern VA and other areas where the cost of living is much higher. Gradually raising the minimum wage to$10 & then eventually to $15 is the right and fair and must thing to do for Virginia families.

How on Gods blue earth can I take little Johnny and little Suzie to them big golden arches of McDonald's to get them a happy meal for being so so good in school this week on a ridiculous $7.25/hr. That is INSANE!! Pull it together Republicans!!

They need too pass this bill nobody can live off of 7.25 I would like one of them to come and work for 7.25!!! It got too get done!!!

I have been voting Republican, but I will be voting Democrat from now on.
How in the world do you expect anyone to make it without Govenment assistant on $7.25 an hour. Not going to happen. I earn $9.25 and hour at FoodLion and I still receive food stamps for just me, no children at home. Imagine if you will that it was 5 years ago when raising my Great Niece and Nephew on $7.25 an hour or even $9.25. I couldn’t do it. At that time I was earning much more as a CNA, I feel My education level could be higher , I also feel I am educated. So it’s not just those that didn’t completeiPlease Republicans think what it would be like if you had to raise your family on 7.25 an hour.
Thank you, Jodi

I understand the comments about raising minimum wage, and as a very small business owner I wish I could afford to pay $15. An hour. Currently I start my staff at $8. It's all I can afford. I did the numbers just this morning and I would have to increase my rates across the board 73% to meet a $15 an hour minimum wage. So what does that mean for my customers? A simple dog bath would go from $29 to $50. A day of daycare from $25 to $43 and a night of boarding from $39 to $67. That's just for my industry. Any service related industry would have to do the same. I can't automate my staff like the fast food restaurants are planning to do. I need every staff member I have. Customers will not tolerate the price increases like this. Remember only the minimum wage would increase., not the wages of employees already making over $15. In all likelyhood they would remain the same. Which means those folks would have to pay those inflated prices on generally the same wage they already make. It's a win loose situation. You would think that a raise to $15 an hour would allow those folks to have more purchasing power. I fear we will all be just treading water. Everything goes up with the wage increase. The only way it would work would be for a wage increase WITHOUT price increases. A pipe dream. Lots of businesses would fail I fear. I'm worried I will loose my business. ☹️

I honestly think they should've simply amended the bill to be just the raise to $9 or $10 in July of this year, and no other increase, because the rate of inflation isn't that high, that we should increase it another 3 - 5 dollars in such a short amount of time. On top of that, even though there are people who have minimum wage jobs, such as me, we work like crazy to get wage increases and promotions, I started at about $8 and am currently making closer to $12 right now at my "minimum wage" job from raises. Donna Anderson is absolutely right, and we just would end up with only mega-conglomerates such as Disney or McDonald's actually being able to afford these outrageous wages, and all the small businesses would go out of business entirely because they wouldn't be able to afford it, which would in fact result in millions of people losing their jobs, and not just the minimum wage jobs, the higher-up jobs, too. You have to think about the math, too, not just your "feelings" of what's "right" for the people, because believe it or not, if this bill passed, it would actually make it even worse for minimum wage workers, because the price of everything else would go up, including even McDonald's! I know, because I work there, and we had to raise our prices to almost double when Maryland raised their minimum wage! Things like "taking little Johnny and little Suzie to them big golden arches of McDonald's to get them a happy meal for being so so good in school" is a privilege, not a right, and you guys who are in favor of this bill need to actually work at your jobs to get promotions/raises, or look for a different job, because if you're responsible enough for a family, you're responsible enough to understand how math works and to have the energy and such to actually get a better job, or do better at your current job! If you're that desperate, there's even entrepeneurship, so stop faking it, liberals, we republicans know what we're doing, and we're trying to save your skins from hurting yourselves even worse!

- Guy who went from totally jobless to minimum wage to promotion and crew trainer, to getting a second job as a highly paid waiter, and all of that without any references whatsoever, all while full time at school during the spring and fall