Anyone know what figure he was considering?

How do you think that would affect small business that are just scraping by as it is?

this is a news article from san antonio, texas. in the article the president's suggestion is 9 per hour by 2015. personally, i think change is inevitable

The action was nonstop in the kitchen of El Milagrito at Woodlawn and N. St. Mary's during the Wednesday lunch rush.

All of the employees already earn above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

"I guess the lowest paid guy in there is a dishwasher and he's making $8.75 already," said Amador Montoya, manager of El Milagrito.

"None of my employees get minimum wage," added William Garza, owner of Guilllermo's Deli on McCullough and St. Mary's. "The employees that do get minimum wage are compensated with tips."

Garza said he uses the minimum wage as a benchmark for wages, often paying even the most menial jobs nearly $2 above that mark.

President Obama's suggestion to raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour by 2015 -- along with annual increases tied to inflation -- wouldn't affect these two businesses initially.

But any increase in minimum wage would affect them and customers.

"If minimum wage goes up, prices will go up in the operations, in the manufacturing plants, in the businesses that depend on minimum wage earners," said Garza.

"For me, the percentage on the margin has been cut by half the last three years, so you've got to look for that money somewhere and the customer is always the one that gets hit at the end," said Montoya.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 8 percent of workers in Texas were at or below minimum wage in 2011, with some of those earning supplemental income through tips.

"We still have a lot of folks who are out there who are being paid the minimum wage, so that would lift the quality of life of a lot of folks in the city of San Antonio," said Mayor Julian Castro.

A total of 19 states currently have minimum wage rates higher than the federal level. Washington state has the highest, having just increased it to $9.19 an hour.
http://www.ksat.com/news/Restaurateurs-say-customers-pay-for-wage-increase/-/478452/18536276/-/romi08z/-/index.html

If I had a dollar for every "small business owner just getting by"
who drives around in a forty-thousand dollar car, lives in a half a million dollar house, and sends his kids to private schools, I wouldn't have to work for a living.

IMO.

Minimum wage, as it is, is just fine. Sure, help subsidize "legal" lower end wage earners with health care, lower utility rates and travel subsidies for work related expenses.

Those who choose not to work, not those who can't. Those who choose not to should be dropped from the welfare roles. They won't work, take their kids and foster them out or, maintain them in Military type schooling/housing. They want their kids back? Get a job and show they want them. After getting fixed.

A straight income tax of 10% would help the lower end workers without putting the lion's share of the burden on the backs of the middle class.

People putting their money and investments in State banks would help put those non-tax paying international banks out of business.

Dumping 90% of Gov. Corporation workers would save up big bucks.

Pay an incentive to turn in Illegals for deportation. Deportation is way less than maintaining them and their kids.

Amoung other viable options.

PS
If all the 20+Million Illegals were deported, I could see supporting a raise in Min Wages.

Ya want to get rid of illegal aliens?

Start fining the crap out of the hotels, restaurants, food processing
plants, and factory farms that hire them.

Most of them are Corporate owned and the Gubament won't bite the hand that pays them off.

I heard him say nine dollars and ?? some change.

I didn't pay attention because I don't intend to go to work ...

Any forced raises in min wage will just be passed on to the consumer.

In another light, it just might serve to raise the pay enough to where, those who would have received FREE oBammycare will have to purchase it.

Probably. BUT prices keep going up no matter what. ...

http://laborpains.org/2013/02/14/new-research-labor-unions-support-minimum-wage-hikes-because-their-contracts-peg-salaries-to-minimum-wage-levels/

New Research: Labor Unions Support Minimum Wage Hikes Because Their Contracts Peg Salaries to Minimum Wage Levels

Research from the Center for Union Facts Uncovers Union Agenda Behind President Obama’s Minimum Wage Hike Proposal

Today the Center for Union Facts released new research detailing how many collective bargaining agreements link union salaries and wage rates to the federal minimum wage. This research comes two days after President Obama proposed raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9—a move which labor unions broadly praised.

The research brief can be accessed here.

http://www.unionfacts.com/article/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Union_Minimum_Wage_report.pdf

“This research shows that labor unions stand to gain from minimum wage increases, even though their members don’t make the minimum wage,” said Richard Berman, Executive Director of the Center for Union Facts. “Some union contracts set starting union wages as much as fifteen percent higher than the federal minimum wage.

“Union officials have been anything but altruistic in their support for minimum wage hikes over the years,” Berman concluded. “This also calls into question whether some politicians who support minimum wage hikes do so out of support for unions—the same unions that are some of the nation’s biggest campaign contributors.”

Election-Payback to the Unions!
Barry is using someone elses Money to pay the Piper as usual!

Raising the minimum wage will hurt teens and low skill workers the most. If you have a skill level that is worth five dollars will not be hired not when they can move work over to the one currently making nine dollars and pay them ten dollars. Minimum wage is an intro to work wage, as I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself wage. Normally if you do good, you get a raise. If the company don't pay you for your improvement they run the risk of you going to work for their rival company. Some companies are paying teens out of high school seventeen dollars an hour if they have certain technical skills from vocational classes. Skills determine what you should pay. That is why many of us will pay someone a few dollars to sweep a floor and hundreds of dollars to do bypass operation on our heart.

Where I'm from, if you're an entrepreneur, then your life is pretty much peachy. At least your country is helping young people with money worries. In the UK, even if you do get a raise working for a minimum wage, it's only by about £5 an hour. Which is why I'd rather set up my own shiz, than have a government tell me what to do.

If jobs weren't so tough to find these days, I'd agree that minimum wage is an entry wage. However, many people other than just teens and low skilled workers are taking on minimum wage jobs, because people are taking what's available.