I'm John Baffer with my good colleague, Gene Marks, the small business columnist for the Guardian

newspaper and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia is looking at minimum wage of $15 an hour.

Now, Gene, we've had mixed reports for quite some time about whether that minimum wage

means people lose their jobs or their fewer jobs or their offsets. What is the general

opinion before Philadelphia tries it? Most of the businesses I've talked to, my clients that have

hourly workers, I cannot find a client that pays less than $15 an hour, John.

I really can't.

Even the clients I know they're in the restaurant business,

you know, there's a minimum wage of like $3.65 in Pennsylvania,

and then they can make up the rest in tipped wages.

And if they don't make up the rest in tipped wages,

then they have to pay the minimum right now $7.25 an hour.

But most of their workers are making, you know, well above that $15 an hour when you figure in tips. So, you know, I just, I'm getting kind of a shrug that, you know, the increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour is going to have that much of an impact.

There are some local authorities, you know, if you want to work for the Lower Merriam Township swimming pools, you know, as a lifeguard,

I think their minimum wage is still below $15 an hour. I haven't checked it recently.

But, you know, okay, maybe that would have an impact. But I have to tell you, John, the $15 an hour. I haven't checked it recently, but you know, okay, maybe that would have an impact.

But I have to tell you, John, the $15 an hour

rage, because it's been knocked around for so many years

across so many different states,

I mean, so many states have well exceeded $15 an hour

that I, you know, to be competitive,

most businesses are already at that number.

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