Seattle's Minimum Wage Ordinance

Guest: Jacob Vigdor, PhD, Professor of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington No matter where you live in the country, surviving on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 is tough. Acknowledging that fact, one of the nation’s more expensive cities – Seattle – is slowly ramping up its city-wide minimum wage toward an eventual goal of $15 an hour. But a new study out of the University of Washington claims Seattle’s minimum wage hike is backfiring: instead of putting more money in the pockets of low-wage workers, it’s led companies to cut the hours employees work.  This study has generated a lot of criticism from researchers who’ve come to different conclusions about the effects of raising minimum wage. So we talk it out with the study's lead author.