Maverick Costco CEO Joins Push to Raise Minimum Wage | Call 1-800-459-1887

[Sapphire Blue]

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

Maverick Costco CEO Joins Push to Raise Minimum Wage
By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 30, 2007; Page D04

The chief executive of Costco Wholesale, the nation's largest wholesale club, yesterday became the most prominent member of a new organization of business owners and executives pressing Congress to approve an increase in the federal minimum wage.

Jim Sinegal, a maverick entrepreneur who founded Costco in 1983 and has resisted Wall Street pressure to cut wages and benefits for his 130,000 employees, said he signed onto the effort because he thinks a higher minimum wage would be good for the nation's economy as well as its workers.

"The more people make, the better lives they're going to have and the better consumers they're going to be," Sinegal said in an interview. "It's going to provide better jobs and better wages."

That view opposes the position held by many business groups, which have lobbied against legislation moving through Congress to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour from $5.15. Democrats have placed a high priority on increasing the minimum wage, which has fallen to its lowest level in more than 50 years when adjusted for inflation. The measure has passed the House but is stalled in the Senate, where Republicans have said they will support it only if tax breaks are included for small businesses.

(snip)

Sinegal is one of dozens of business owners and executives who don't buy that argument <<<that employers will be forced to cut jobs>>> and are lending their voices to an effort called Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a project of Business for Shared Prosperity, an organization of "forward-thinking business owners, executives and investors committed to building enduring economic progress on a strong foundation of opportunity, equity and innovation," according to the organization's Web site.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/29/AR2007012901783.html

Related threads:

***** YOUR CALL CAN RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE! ***** 1-800-459-1887 *****: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x80800


Jim Webb: Class Struggle - American workers have a chance to be heard. (Call 1-800-459-1887): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x81122

[aquart]

1. I love CostCo salmon. And samples. And prescriptions.

I'm easily seduced.

[Janice325]

2. WOW!

I gotta go find my nearest Costco to join and shop.
Good for Mr. Sinegal.:thumbsup:

[Beaverhausen]

3. Good for him

I have got to join Costco one of these days.

[Nutmegger]

4. I wish a Costco was in my area, this rocks!

:kick: and :thumbsup:!

[EFerrari]

5. WOW!

:wow:

I haven't been to Costco in years but I think I need to renew that membership. Maybe my neighborhood can go in on 200 rolls of tp. lol

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[xxqqqzme]

7. and prescriptions and glasses

and appliances and renovation products - cabinets, flooring, etc. You should look into it.

[EFerrari]

9. I used to go there every two weeks when I had teenagers.

Aka, bottomless appetites. :)

[skiddlybop]

10. It's an absolute myth that you need to have a family of six

or more to shop at Costco.

If you have a two-door refrigerator with a cold freezer and any sort of storage space, you can find yourself buying meat and household items in amounts that are fine for even a couple living in a one-bedroom place.

Let me tell you, after looking at those prices, compared to local supermarkets, you will find the room to stash cleaning items, household staples and meat...you will hate to leave without them. The secret is to limit the buying of PERISHABLES. There's no reason why buying four cans of Scrubbing Bubbles at once should intimidate. Comparing the cost, it's like bringing home free stuff to run the household with. Wastage, I have found, is in overbuying fresh food/produce unless you can freeze it. Truly, I feel like I get away with something every time I go there.

Any friend or relative should be happy to go in on the $50 yearly membership, which you will make back in one trip. And don't forget Costco has the fairest employment practices and the happiest lifelong employees. It's true. Every Costco purchase is to me a BIG FUCK YOU to Wal-Mart and other exploiters of the working poor.

[EFerrari]

12. I was being silly more than anything. You can save megabucks

by shopping at Costco. Mr. Kirkland is dear to my heart, I just haven't seen him in a while. :)

[helderheid]

6. COSTCO!

:loveya:

[bear425]

8. Costco is the best. Asheville would be paradise, if we just

had a Costco. Time to write to Mr. Sinegal...

edit: I refuse to shop at Sam's Club (Walmart)

[soswolf]

14. Asheville would support a Costco n/t

[EFerrari]

11. Well, I called his exec admin and left a message thanking him.

This is very exciting and his TIMING is perfect. Too cool. :)

[SanCristobal]

13. I'm pretty sure Costco pays above the minimum.

This is just a ploy to hurt their competitors. I may or may not be overly cynical.

[Bridget Burke]

17. Well, Costco seems to be doing well, paying above minimum wage.

Why should I support a competitor that pays lower wages?

[SanCristobal]

20. Because you want their products and or services? Or so they make money and

don't have to fire their employees? Not every business can afford to pay a high(ish) wage an still provide a good level of customer service.

[Bridget Burke]

21. If a company doesn't think their employees are worth decent pay,

Perhaps they should rethink their policies.

[IronLionZion]

19. The lowest paid Costco employee makes $11 an hour

The average is $17. Yeah, you are absolutely right. And I do wish we would have more Costcos. Fuck Sam's Club.

I also think it's amazing how few people actually read the article. :eyes:

[pdrichards114]

15. Shocked and stunned, in a good way!!

[Vox_Reason]

16. We all need to support Costco

Costco is the anti-Wal-mart. This is simply further evidence to support that fact.

Costco is a bright blue company that works well with their employee union and pays good wages and benefits. Not only that, they're very customer-friendly--their return policies are by far the best in class. All of us here should do all we can to support Costco. They are truly what Wal-mart could be if Wal-mart weren't completely and utterly evil.

The true cost of things:
http://www.alternativesmagazine.com/30/baynton.html

How Wal-mart is remaking our world:
http://www.theconversation.org/walmart.html

[IronLionZion]

18. Wal-mart wanted it all along

Yet somehow, I doubt we will be so quick to praise Wal-mart. :silly:

Of course retail wants to raise the minimum wage. Then customers have more money to spend! The increase in labor costs for Wal-Mart will be more than offset by the increase in sales. Restaurants and factories are the ones who oppose it.

http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/25/news/fortune500/walmart_wage/


I've always believed that doing the right thing is profitable.

The best line from the OP's article: "In my view, some of these industries that pay minimum wage are constantly turning their people," Sinegal said. "They spend more on turnover than they would in paying the additional wages."

We can build on this to how $1500 of the sticker price of every new GM car goes to paying for health care. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15828-2005Feb10.html

[Quantess]

22. I love Costco. (end of message)

[Blue Gardener]

23. I WANT COSTCO!

The nearest is about a 2 hour drive. I envy those who have one close by.