Seattle's 15-dollars an hour minimum wage isn't helping workers.
That's according to a new University of Washington study that looked at the effects after the city became the first in the nation to raise the wage that high in 2015. Workers are making higher wages but they're working fewer hours, taking home around 125-dollars less overall. The study also says the move has cost the city five-thousand jobs.
Some companies can’t afford the pay increase, so they’ve been cutting payroll and letting their staff level freeze or drop.
Even though Seattle commissioned the study, Mayor Ed Murray disputed the study, however, noting that the city's economy is growing and more retail and service jobs are being added at a rapid pace. Job growth is at 13 percent for people making more than 19-dollars an hour.
Source: Washington Post