Apparently the left-wing Seattle Moonbats did not pause in their march for social justice to ask or evaluate SeaTac, a suburb of Seattle, where their $15 wage began earlier this year.    Here’s a brief snippet of some conversation with a SeaTac employee:

SURPRISE !  15 minutes south of Seattle, near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, employees are already seeing the negative effects of such a hike. A February report from the Seattle Times revealed:

At the Clarion Hotel off International Boulevard, a sit-down restaurant has been shuttered, though it might soon be replaced by a less-labor-intensive cafe…

Other businesses have adjusted in ways that run the gamut from putting more work in the hands of managers, to instituting a small “living-wage surcharge” for a daily parking space near the airport.

That’s not all. According to Assunta Ng, publisher of the Northwest Asian Weekly, some employees are feeling the pinch as employers cut benefits. She recalls a conversation she had with two hotel employees who have been affected by the wage hike:

“Are you happy with the $15 wage?” I asked the full-time cleaning lady.

“It sounds good, but it’s not good,” the woman said.

“Why?” I asked.

“I lost my 401k, health insurance, paid holiday, and vacation,” she responded. “No more free food,” she added.

The hotel used to feed her. Now, she has to bring her own food. Also, no overtime, she said. She used to work extra hours and received overtime pay.

What else? I asked.

“I have to pay for parking,” she said.  (link)

Lacking a firm grasp of unintended consequences, the Seattle City Council unanimously votes for $15 minimum wage Monday afternoon.

• Phase-in period starts in April 1, 2015.
• Trainees will get lower wage.
• The minimum wage would be highest in the nation.
• Socialist City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant wanted higher wage in January.

Seattle will soon have the nation’s highest minimum wage after a historic 9-0 vote Monday by the City Council, outlining a phased-in $15 minimum wage.

Some critics say the mayor’s plan is not enough. Others say it will lead to layoffs and higher prices for consumers. Immediately after the vote, the International Franchise Association President and CEO said a lawsuit would be filed against the “unfair and discriminatory Seattle minimum wage plan.”

“The Seattle City Council and Mayor Murray’s plan would force the 600 franchisees in Seattle, which own 1,700 franchise locations employing 19,000 workers, to adopt the full $15 minimum wage in 3 years, while most other small business owners would have seven years to adopt the $15 wage,” CEO and president Steve Caldeira said in a statement. “These hundreds of franchise small business owners are being punished simply because they chose to operate as franchisees.   (read more)

A Seattle Starbucks

Hey Moonbats, how’s that Venezuelan thing working out for ya?

[…]  Venezuela’s government announced the start of electricity rationing in western Zulia state as well as water rationing in Caracas to reduce demand on the power grid, a day after Ford Motor Co. (F) halted production in Latin America’s largest oil exporter.

The second-largest U.S. automaker joins competitor Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Dutch truck-maker CNH Industrial NV (CNHI) in suspending assembly in the South American country because of the difficulty of obtaining dollars to import parts from the government.

Shortages of everything from water to car parts and flour to pregnancy tests come after three months of protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro that have left at least 41 people dead. The government yesterday said it will start rationing electricity and water as drought drains hydroelectric reservoirs and water tanks.  (link)