washington business
What happens to them depends in large part on the
outcome of this fall’s elections.
For the last two years, the Senate’s Republicandominated Majority Coalition Caucus has provided a
counterbalance to many of the proposals coming out of
the Democrat-led House.
But with half of the Senate up for election it’s unclear
whether that will continue to be the case.
no more entry-level?
“My customers, they’re going to go 15 minutes
away across the border to a state that has a
minimum wage that is significantly lower.”
— JoReen Brinkman, co-owner of Subway restaurants in and
around Pullman, telling the governor why a higher minimum wage
will hurt border-community businesses
Brinkman never expected she would end up talking with
the governor.
“Oh, no, I never thought I was going to be the one asking
the questions,” she said.
And then Inslee brought up the issue during his address,
telling business owners they should get behind the proposal because it will help their bottom line.
And she couldn’t stay quiet.
One thing that’s easy to lose sight of amid the debate over
income inequality, education funding and many other contentious issues is that everyone wants the same result.
They just differ on how to get there.
“I’m not against people making a decent living,” Brinkman said, noting that she worked for minimum wage all
the way through college.
Like many other small business owners, she just doesn’t workforce crisis
believe that raising the minimum wage to $12 or $15 per At the time, Brinkman was too nervous to think about
hour will help anyone — employees, business owners or Inslee’s response to her question — that he would give her
better consumers.
the economy.
Her own story is an example of how employees can But she watched the video later and came to the conclubegin working at minimum wage and then move up the sion that he is wrong about Washington suffering from a
consumer crisis.
economic ladder.
Brinkman started out working at Subway in 1995 while “We need skilled workers in the workforce,” she said.
attending college. While she was working there, she met Rather than arbitrarily raise the minimum wage, Brinkher future husband, another college student who was also man is among those who believe the government should
focus on training young
working at the sandwich shop.
After a while, her husband moved into management workers so they can start
out at a minimum wage job
positions at the Subway while Brinkman finished school.
at a glance
Then in 2005, the owner of four franchises decided to and then move up the ladmove on and Brinkman and her husband bought the busi- der to a skilled position that
offers better pay.
nesses — including the one where they met.
Washington lawmakers introduced
The couple has enjoyed success, but it’s not easy. The That’s the path that AWB
bills this year seeking to raise the
profit margin in the restaurant business is notoriously President Kris Johnson
minimum wage to $12 per hour,
low, and Brinkman said they’re lucky to clear five cents on took, starting his working
expand Seattle’s paid sick-leave
life by cleaning the meat
every dollar.
requirement statewide, and man “That’s if everything runs perdate paid vacation time for virtually
fect,” she said.
all employees.
If an oven breaks or a refrigerator needs repair, the money to fix
The bills failed to pass out of a
Government mandated benefits such as paid
it comes out of the five cents.
divided Legislature this year, but
sick leave and paid vacation are relatively new, but
T h a t ’s w h y B r i n k m a n w a s
the issues are not going away any
early surveys suggest that
alarmed earlier this year when she
time soon.
learned about the legislation proposWhat happens next depends largeing to raise the statewide minimum
ly on the outcome of elections this
wage to $12 per hour — and it’s the
fall, which could decide whether the
reason she decided to travel across
Senate remains in the hands of the
the state to attend AWB’s LegislaMajority Coalition Caucus.
tive Summit.
Source: Washington Research Council
employers offset the
higher benefit costs
by reducing
other compensation.
winter/spring 2014 29